Full-scale emergency drill planned in Forest Posted on October 4, 2019 0 FOREST — The Hardin County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) will be holding a full-scale emergency drill on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12 in the village of Forest. During daytime hours on both days, residents may notice an increased presence of firefighter, EMS, law enforcement, and hazardous materials team personnel. Residents may also notice an increased amount of emergency vehicles, lights, sirens, and medical helicopter traffic. Additionally, the public service communication tool (NIXEL) will be utilized to send public safety messages. Those messages will be marked as being part of the drill, said Kolt Buchenroth, media representative for the LEPC. These training procedures are mandated by the state of Ohio in an effort to ensure first responders are equipped with training and resources should an actual emergency event occur. To protect the integrity of the drill, and to provide the most realistic opportunity for those engaged in the activity, Buchenroth said more details will be released during the simulation. Residents should continue to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. Other county agencies will be responding to emergency calls in the village during drill hours.
