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NM DOH All Hazard Incident Management Glossary
Intro | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ Sources
Download: NMDOH_IM_Glossary_May_2008 
Radiation – high-energy particles or gamma rays that are emitted by an atom as the substance undergoes radioactive decay. Particles can be either charged alpha or beta particles or neutral neutron or gamma rays.
Radiation Sickness – sickness resulting from excessive exposure of the body to ionizing radiation.
Radio Cache - a supply of radios stored in a pre-determined location for assignment to incidents.
Radiological Monitoring – the process of locating and measuring radiation by means of survey instruments that can detect and measure (as exposure rates) ionizing radiation.
Real-time communication - Communication that guarantees an immediate response time
Recovery – the development, coordination, and execution of service- and site-restoration plans; the reconstitution of government operations and services; individual, private-sector, nongovernmental, and public-assistance programs to provide housing and to promote restoration; long-term care and treatment of affected persons; additional measures for social, political, environmental, and economic restoration; evaluation of the incident to identify lessons learned; postincident reporting; and development of initiatives to mitigate the effects of future incidents.
Recovery Plan – a plan developed by a State, local, or tribal jurisdiction with assistance from responding Federal agencies to restore the affected area.
Redundancy – Duplication or repetition of elements in electronic, equipment to provide alternative functional channels in case of failure
Reference Dose (RfD) – an estimate of the intake of a chemical to which it is believed a person can be exposed daily over a lifetime, without experiencing adverse health effects. The estimate is calculated on a body weight basis.
Report of a Disease – an official report notifying an appropriate authority of the occurrence of a specified communicable or other disease in humans or in animals.
Reservoir – any person, animal, arthropod, plant, soil or substance (or combination of these) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies, on which it depends primarily for survival, and where it reproduces itself in such manner that it can be transmitted to a susceptible host.
Respiratory Hygiene – aka “cough etiquette” includes measures taken by individuals with signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection to contain respiratory secretions. These measures include: 1) Cover the nose/mouth when coughing or sneezing; 2) use tissues to contain respiratory secretions and dispose of them in the nearest waste receptacle after use; and 3) Perform hand hygiene (e.g., hand washing with non-antimicrobial soap and water, alcohol-based hand rub, or antiseptic handwash) after having contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials.
Resistance – the sum total body mechanisms that interpose barriers to the invasion or multiplication of infectious agents, or to damage by their toxic products.
Resources – personnel and major items of equipment, supplies, and facilities available or potentially available for assignment to incident operations and for which status is maintained. Resources are described by kind and type and may be used in operational support or supervisory capacities at an incident or at an EOC.
Response – activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident. Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of emergency operations plans and of mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage, and other unfavorable outcomes. As indicated by the situation, response activities include applying intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of an incident; increased security operations; continuing investigations into nature and source of the threat; ongoing public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and specific law enforcement operations aimed at preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity, and apprehending actual perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
Reverse 911 - a Microsoft Windows program that facilitates communication with the public by telephone. Using a combination of database and computer mapping technologies, communities can quickly target a precise geographic area and saturate it with thousands of calls per hour. Public agencies can also create a list of individuals with common characteristics, such as emergency personnel, and contact them rapidly whenever necessary.
Risk – a measure of the harm to human health that results from being exposed; uncertainty that surrounds future events and outcomes.
Risk Assessment – a process that involves determining the likelihood that a specific adverse health effect will occur in an individual or population, following exposure to a hazardous agent.
Risk Communication - exchange of information concerning the existence, nature, form, severity or acceptability of health or environmental risks. Effective risk communication involves determining the types of information that interested and affected parties need and want, and presenting this information to them in a useful and meaningful way.
Risk Comparison – the practice of comparing one risk to another in order to promote a better understanding of the nature and scope of the hazard.
Risk Perception – the way that individuals intuitively see and judge risks.
RLD – Regulation and Licensing Department (NM)
Route of Exposure – the means by which agents enter the body, such as through eating, drinking, breathing, or skin contact.
