White County conducts Haz-Mat preparedness training with U.S. Army National Guard

If any residents in the White County area were wondering why evmergency units and Army National Guard soldiers may have recently donned orange protective suits in areas of the county, rest asured on several fronts that all is well--and should be in times of need.

 

White County Fire Services recently concluded a two-day hazardous materials training exercise in partnership with the United States Army National Guard’s 4th WMD-CST. Hosted at the White County Public Safety Training Center, the training was designed to strengthen multi-agency coordination and evaluate response capabilities for low-frequency, high-risk hazardous materials incidents.

 

The exercise simulated real-world conditions, with White County Fire personnel dispatched without prior notice. Responders were required to assess the scene, recognize hazardous environments beyond local capabilities, and initiate a mutual aid request. The 4th WMD-CST then arrived to support operations by identifying and managing the simulated threat using advanced tools and procedures.

The training challenged local responders to recognize hazardous material threats, provide patient care in contaminated environments implement decontamination procedures and perform technical rescue operations.  EMS with White County  participated in deploying alongside ALS support in simulated hazardous conditions and providing safety standby aid.  Communications with White County's 911 also participated in dispatch simulation operations to support inter-agency communications flow.

Director of White County's Public Safety David Murphy said during the training, "We're proud to work alongside out local, state and federal partners to contiuously strengthen our readiness. Exercises like this ensure our responders are better preparted to protecto people of White County in even the most complex emergency situations.

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