National arrangements for incidents involving radioactivity (NAIR)
NAIR provides assistance to the police and other emergency services where no radiation expert is otherwise available.
Radioactive materials are used for many purposes in industry, medicine and research and there are thousands of transport movements associated with these activities each year.
NAIR was set up to protect the public from hazards arising from the use and transport of radioactive materials and in situations where no formal contingency plans exist.
The Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards Directorate (RCE) of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) co-ordinates the NAIR arrangements.
Police or other emergency services requiring assistance via NAIR should first contact the UKHSA RCE Radiation On-Call Officer on 01235 834590.
Any other organisation (or individual) with a need to activate NAIR should first contact the police.
NAIR provides quick and widely available assistance to the police and other emergency services where no radiation expert is otherwise available. Assistance is provided in 2 stages and is drawn from hospitals, the nuclear industry and government departments.
Stage 1 assistance is normally provided by a single radiation expert or small team who, with the aid of simple monitoring equipment, can tell whether a radiation hazard exists and advise the police on appropriate action. If necessary, the police will be advised to obtain Stage 2 assistance.
Stage 2 assistance provides more sophisticated resources for handling the incident. This involves a small team of experts with readily available transport, monitoring and decontamination equipment and personal protective equipment.
- NAIR user handbook for emergency services staff who might need to use the service
- NAIR technical handbook for radiation specialists participating in NAIR
Training courses are provided by UKHSA RCE for staff nominated by organisations participating in NAIR.
For more information:
UKHSA RCE Emergency Response Group
Email nair@ukhsa.gov.uk
Last updated 9 April 2021 + show all updates
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Updated contact details for emergency use.
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Updated the contact details for the NAIR scheme.
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First published.