NEARLY all the Territory's fines would be needed should an accident happen with nuclear waste which will travel through the NT and be stored at Muckaty, unions have warned.

 

United Voice secretary Matthew Gardiner, whose union represents fire fighters, raised the alarm about the NT's emergency response capacity.

 

He pointed to the Edith River disaster in December, involving a toxic spill.

 

"If we had one container of nuclear waste on that train when it derailed, we would have had to use virtually every single fire fighter in the NT," he said.

 

Mr Gardiner said the NT had just less than 200 fulltime fines, who were trained in chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) responses. Two of them were stationed in Tennant Creek, near Muckaty.

 

He added that the reason why nearly the entire fire fighting force would be needed to mount a CBR response was specifically due to the protective suits and equipment.

 

"You can only work for a maximum of half an hour at a time before the heat stress gets so much you have to be replaced," he said.

 

Campaigners have been piling on pressure, visiting the Top End to garner support for their cause to stop the nuclear waste dump being built at Muckaty.

 

Nuclear campaigner Dr Jim Green told how toxic nuclear rods from Sydney's Lucas Heights reactor, sent overseas for re-processing, would make their way back through Darwin Port and then down to Muckaty. 

 

He argues that the rods are so dangerous it just makes no sense to move them unless necessary.