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EPA and Mass. DEP to Hold Two-day Training Oct 20 and 21 with Worcester County Fire Departments

Release Date: 10/19/04
Contact Information:

Contact: Dave Deegan, EPA Press Office (617-918-1017)

For Immediate Release: Oct. 19, 2004 Release # 04-10-27

WEST BOYLSTON - A two-day hazardous material training exercise will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Oct 20 and 21, at the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation offices at 180 Beaman St. in West Boylston. The training exercise, which will run 8 am to 5 pm each day, involves a mock hazardous material release from a fictitious train derailment beside and into the Wachusett Reservoir. The exercise is designed to test private facility and federal response plans, and the ability of local, state and federal agencies and industry partners to manage a major emergency response.

Participants will include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection, the Mass. Water Resources Authority, the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Mass. Emergency Management Association, the U.S. Department of Interior, emergency response personnel from Boylston, Clinton, Sterling, Holden, West Boylston and Worcester fire departments and response personnel from the West Boylston Police Department. A representative from the Federal Railroad Administration will role play as a representative of the fictitious railroad. The U.S. Coast Guard National Strike Force Coordination Center will help organize the training.

The exercise is designed to evaluate the emergency preparedness of the various agencies and organizations. MWRA and the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation will deploy a boom designed to slow and contain a spill in the reservoir. They will use this exercise to sharpen their boom deployment skills and test their response time. The other organizations will establish and integrate into a Unified Command Structure. This will let all organizations interact in a structured environment designed for handling emergency response situations.

During the drill, training coordinators will build on the situation to add complexity and realism to the exercise. Individuals have been assigned to specific duties and assignments to achieve certain goals.

Reporters are invited to view the coordination and communication processes being used. The escorted media tour and briefing will last about one hour. Observers are welcome between Noon and 4 pm Oct. 20.

For more information call Mia Pasquerella at the EPA, 1-888-372-7341, ext. 81120.

Related Information:
Cleanup Process
RCRA Cleanup
Oil Spill Prevention Plan
RCRA/Hazardous Waste