The Porter County Local Emergency Planning Committee, with the cooperation of local emergency response departments and agencies, will conduct the county’s annual emergency preparedness exercise on Saturday within the Montdale Industrial Park in Valparaiso.
Montdale Drive will be closed to traffic on Saturday from Raystone Drive to Slover Road/County Road 325 East, according to a release from the Porter County Sheriff’s Department.
The annual exercise is required by federal Regulations under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act Title III, and by the state jurisdiction of the Indiana Emergency Response Commission.
The purpose of the exercise is to evaluate sections of the Porter County Emergency Operations Plan, according to the release.
This year, the exercise will be a full-scale functional exercise that simulates a transportation incident involving an aircraft crash which creates multiple hazardous material incidents.
Participants in the exercise are expected to include the Valparaiso fire and police departments;
county fire departments; Porter County Sheriff’s Department; Northwest Health Hospital and
EMS; Porter County Hazardous Materials Response Team; Porter County Emergency
Management Agency; Porter County Regional Airport; and local industry.
Given the nature of the exercise, emergency equipment will operate on scenes that may show smoke and fire conditions by use of simulators on Friday for training and on Saturday for the exercise.
