Studer Community Institute

Emergency exercise at UWF for first responders

March 3, 2015
/ Reggie Dogan
/ government

The District 1 Local Emergency Planning Committee will hold a full-scale hazardous materials exercise at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on March 10. The purpose of the exercise is to provide the opportunity for first responders and the university to test current policies and procedures, regional mutual aid coordination and improve overall response should any county in Northwest Florida experience a hazardous materials incident beyond their ability to respond. During this exercise, participants will respond to a mock incident through a combination of real-time role-play and simulated response. Students and visitors at UWF should not be alarmed to see first responders and actors engaged in the test scenario. The West Florida Regional Planning Council has been instrumental in the planning and orchestration of this biennial event. "Our goal is to strengthen our response and recovery to hazardous materials incidents through coordinated efforts among our first responding agencies," said Kathy Ahlen, regional planner and staff to emergency planning and the LEPC at WFRPC. District 1 LEPC encompasses Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington and Bay counties. The LEPC prepares the regional hazardous materials emergency plan, which identifies facilities that use, produce and/or store hazardous substances in northwest Florida. WFRPC maintains public records on hazardous materials and chemicals in the community in compliance with the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. For more information about LEPC or the Right-to-Know Act, contact Kathy Ahlen at WFRPC, 800-226-8914, ext. 210.

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Emergency exercise at UWF for first responders

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