“Low probability, high impact.” Sjoerd van der Molen of Hotzone Solutions is concerned with reducing the impact of unlikely but catastrophic incidents – like a biological or radiological terrorist attack.
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Sjoerd van der Molen’s work is about dealing with the stuff of nightmares. “But it’s not about the politics of fear presented by consultants, like after 9/11,” he says. Mention the idea of nuclear terrorism, and you get a sceptical look. But a radiological attack – a ‘dirty bomb’ – that’s a different matter.
So how do you prepare to deal with a calamity that’s so rare, you have no experience in reality? To prepare adequately, emergency workers have to know what it feels like psychologically to deal with deadly substances, says Van der Molen. His company is one of the few organisations in the world that trains people in working with live chemical, biological and radiological agents.
Website: Hotzone Solutions