File under “Swedish Total Defence Institute (FOI) reports in Swedish that give me the heebee jeebees “:

“Kärnvapenscenario för räddningstjänst” (EN: “Nuclear Weapons Scenario for Rescue Services”)

Here is a summary of what we consider to be important circumstances for the rescue service in the event of a nuclear attack: After a nuclear explosion, the information will be very deficient. It will not be possible to estimate the harmful effects, and the presence of radioactive fallout will not be known. Initial radiation dose forecasts can be flawed. In the event of an explosion in or near an urban area, thousands of dead and injured can be expected from the immediate effects. Extensive building landslides make it difficult to get around. Likewise, other infrastructure such as mobile masts, overhead lines and bridges may be damaged or knocked out. Own indication and dose measurement ability is crucial to be able to act in the area. Rescue services in the area may be directly affected and need to prioritize their own radiation protection, while resources that have arrived need to work their way into the disaster area. Precipitation in the wind direction spreads roughly estimated with the wind speed. Radiation dose rates can vary greatly depending on where and how they are measured. You need to be observant of the current radiation dose rate, length of stay and how long the stay can continue before the dose limit is reached. The residual radiation may be negligible in an air explosion, but the direct effects will be more extensive than in a ground explosion. The overall conclusion is that the situation will be chaotic with major casualties, but in part it is similar to the everyday life that the rescue service is used to facing. The big difference is the extent, as well as the difficulties of working in potentially life-threatening radiation dose environments where personal radiation protection is crucial.

Unlike elsewhere, the Swedish Total Defence Research Agency doesn’t spend money on spurious projects, there’s usually a reason for their research topics. So when they do a report on Rescue Services capabilities in the event of a nuclear attack, it is worriesome…