Will County Emergency Management Agency to Conduct Full-Scale Training Exercise on April 6
Increased first responder activity should be expected by the public
ROMEOVILLE – The Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency will be conducting an inter-agency response exercise on Wednesday, April 6 in Romeoville. The exercise will involve minor road closures and an increased presence of first responders in the community.
“The County’s Emergency Operations Center and Crisis Management Team will be activated during this exercise,” said Allison Anderson, Director of the Will County EMA. “There will also be several municipalities participating in this exercise to ensure a successful, coordinated response plan.”
This exercise will simulate large-scale emergencies for participating agencies to evaluate inter-agency communications. This exercise will have several key objectives, including family assistance processes, coordination with state and local municipalities on information and intelligence flow, and unified public information and warnings.
The exercise will be conducted from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on April 6 in Romeoville. On the day of the exercise, the Village of Romeoville will be closing the 135th Street entrance to Grand Boulevard to the public from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Village of Romeoville services will not be interrupted, and both Village Hall and the Police Station will remain open. Residents who need to access either building will need to enter the complex from the west entrance (Grand Boulevard & Anna Lane) and park in the Police Department lot.
While hundreds of emergency personnel will be on site at Village Hall, exercises will also be occurring along the DuPage River between 135th Street and 9th Street from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Isle a la Cache will be used as a staging ground and boat teams, ground search teams, and drones will be used. There may be some simulated gunfire. No road closures will result from this exercise.
“The opportunity to bring these municipalities, the county, and the state together for these exercises is a critical component to creating a definitive plan of action to address all the scenarios that can and will arise,” Anderson said. “By continually training, we are prepared to handle any emergency.”
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