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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – The Illinois State Police held a full-scale preparedness training exercise Oct. 7 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
ISP said this exercise was designed to help protect and serve communities during emergency events.
The ISP Special Operations Command Statewide Weapons of Mass Destruction team led the exercise.
“The goal of this full-scale exercise was to test and evaluate the ability of law enforcement, fire services and other partnering agencies to respond as a unified group during emergency situations,” ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly said. “These preparedness exercises provide a no-fault learning environment to [ensure] we’re ready when a real-world crisis strikes.”
Police and firefighters are often the first to show up to large-scale emergency events. This exercise was conducted to ensure local and state agencies know what to do in emergency situations.
The simulated exercise was a large public event that escalated into a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives threat, according to ISP.
During the exercise, participants tested their hazard response skills and communication protocols in real time, improved collaboration and evaluated the successes and weaknesses shown in the simulation, ISP said.
Other participating agencies included: the Illinois Secretary of State Police, Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, Springfield Fire Department, Illinois National Guard 5th Civil Support Team, FBI Springfield office, Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team and the Illinois Department of Agriculture in Springfield.
ISP said it will continue to train and collaborate with local, state and federal agencies to protect public safety.