No actual Hamiltonians were harmed during the making of this simulation. (Photo provided)

Posted By: The Reporter August 29, 2025

Full-scale training simulates hazardous material incident

The Hamilton County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) conducted a full-scale emergency exercise Wednesday morning at Regal Village Park Theater in Westfield. The two-hour drill simulated a hazardous materials incident to test the county’s response capabilities, strengthen interagency coordination, and evaluate emergency plans.

The exercise scenario involved a chlorine truck colliding with a car near State Road 32 and Spring Mill Road by Grand Park in Westfield, resulting in a hazardous material spill. Public safety responders and supporting agencies treated the exercise as if it were a real-world incident, with controllers and evaluators on hand to oversee operations and provide feedback.

Participating agencies included the police and fire departments from the cities of Carmel, Fishers, and Westfield, the Noblesville Fire Department, the Zionsville Fire Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office as well as Hamilton County Dispatch, Hamilton County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA), IU Health, Riverview Health, and the Hamilton County Health Department.

“This was a great way to collaborate with other agencies and to build relationships so that if something like this ever happens, we’re ready to respond together,” Westfield Communications Director Kayla Arnold. “Training side by side helps ensure our community is safer and more prepared.”

Full-scale exercises like today’s are conducted every three years, with tabletop exercises in the off years. This training was funded through an LEPC grant. Participants gathered for a debriefing to review what went well and identify areas for improvement.

“The purpose of exercises like this is to make sure we’re prepared for real-world incident response,” County EMA Director Ryan Tennessen said. “We did well and met the criteria, but there are always lessons to be learned – what our strengths are and where we can improve.”