Investigating Emergency Responders’ Roles in a Dirty Bomb Event With an Agent-Based Model

Abstract

Dirty bombs, formally known as radiological dispersal devices, pose a new and potentially significant threat to the populace. They can be used by terrorists to cause explosions that would expose nearby civilians to radiation, resulting in injuries of varying severities, including death. The assistance of emergency responders, such as emergency medical technicians and firefighters, may mitigate the negative consequences of dirty bomb events. We used an agent-based model to simulate what happens when emergency responders respond to a dirty bomb exploding in a public metropolitan place. Through our study, we confirmed the positive impact of emergency responders in a dirty bomb event and raised possible concerns for the safety of emergency responders.