Support for emergency and environmental crisis situations

People are increasingly risk-averse when it comes to environmental crises, especially when these affect densely populated areas with a high level of activity and interdependencies. To manage these crises, central and local government need rapid access to cutting-edge scientific knowledge in order to assess the factors involved and the options available for resolving them. In such situations, INERIS provides responsive technical support to public authorities by making available its expertise in technological risks, its deployable sampling and analysis resources, and its digital simulation capabilities.

The Institute has mobilised its teams during unusual or exceptional environmental crises such as the fires at the Lubrizol and Normandie Logistique factories in Rouen and the Notre-Dame de Paris fire. It also has 24-hour operational services dedicated to emergency support and environmental monitoring, which benefit from the experience gained in managing past crises.
 

Casu, emergency support unit

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Since 2003, INERIS has had an emergency support unit ( , or CASU) that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the support of the ministries responsible for the environment and civil security. The unit provides public authorities with immediate decision-making assistance in the event of a proven or imminent technological hazard to people or the environment. The CASU is activated 50 to 60 times a year, mainly at the initiative of the regional directorates for the environment, planning and housing (DREAL) and the departmental fire and rescue services (SDIS). 
The unit mobilises multidisciplinary on-call teams and, if necessary, the Institute's technical resources. If necessary, it draws on a network of partners that can be consulted, in particular the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR), Météo France, the Centre for Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (Cedre) and the network of post-accident responders (RIPA).

Assessment of environmental and health impacts following a technological accident

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Since 2020, INERIS has stepped up its efforts to improve the monitoring of the long-term environmental and health consequences of technological accidents, in accordance with the guidelines set out in the circular of 20 February 2012:
-    strengthening and improving the reliability of the national sampling and analysis network (RIPA),
-    definition and establishment of a network of resources that can be deployed on site, with three levels of intervention and material mobilisation depending on the type of crisis encountered,
-    identifying toxic substances that may be emitted by a fire
-    development of a sampling and analysis strategy to be implemented following a technological accident
-    Design and launch of the cartam.fr website, which disseminates data on pollutant measurements and analyses carried out in post-accident situations

The National Centre for Soil and Subsoil Risk Monitoring (Cenaris) is dedicated to observing and monitoring soil and subsoil risks. Initially focused on microseismic monitoring of post-mining ground movement risks, its scope has been extended to natural sites (rock faces, natural slopes and cliffs) and other public or private structures, including mining and geothermal sites, underground gas storage facilities, quarries, dams or dykes, and engineering structures. 
Cenaris is organised around the e.cenaris web platform, which aggregates telemetry data, and a team available seven days a week to qualify the data, validate alarms and provide scientific expertise to risk managers in the event of abnormal developments. 
The measurements currently collected in e.cenaris include geophysical (seismic, acoustic and vibration), geotechnical, hydrological, geodetic and meteorological data, as well as gas concentration measurements. However, the types of data integrated are continuously being expanded. 

Prev’air, for large-scale air pollution episodes

The national air quality forecasting platform PREV’AIR provides daily forecasts at 8 a.m. of national concentrations of the main regulated pollutants (ozone, nitrogen dioxide and aerosols (PM10, PM2.5 and dust) for the current day and the following five days. These forecasts and pollution maps are based on numerical simulations that incorporate observation data produced by approved air quality monitoring associations (AASQA) to improve their accuracy. The forecast data is made available to the public on the PREV’AIR website and via data.gouv.fr. 
During periods of peak pollution, INERIS provides a service, available seven days a week, to monitor and analyse the mechanisms prevailing during the episode and its evolution (sources of pollution, weather conditions, etc.). 
In the event of specific events, additional interpretative information can be quickly consolidated by INERIS. This may include information on the chemical composition of particles analysed in near real time and in situ via the CARA programme, expert observations provided by external partners (e.g. the altitude of a plume), satellite imagery), or additional modelling to better understand the role of different emission sectors in pollution episodes.
INERIS is also involved in the implementation of European Copernicus Atmosphere services for the production of forecasts, maps and tools for analysing pollution episodes at European level.

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