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Blount Co. emergency crews drill hazmat response by simulating a crash between a sewage truck and a bus of seniors

Don't worry -- a Maryville sewage truck crashing into a bus of seniors was just a simulated drill.
Credit: Thinkstock
These HAZMAT team members have been wearing protective suits to protect them from hazardous materials during a disaster preparedness drill and have to go through decontamination washes.

MARYVILLE, Tenn. — First responders dealt with an accident involving hazardous materials and a busload of senior citizens -- in a simulated drill scenario, that is.

Every year, Blount County first responders test and hone their skills in a simulated hazmat situation. This year's drill took place Tuesday near East Maryville Baptist Church from 6 to 8 p.m.

In the scenario, a sanitation truck carrying raw sewage crashed into a parked bus full of seniors. Personnel were tasked with treating injured people covered in raw sewage, extinguishing a fire and responding to a bio-hazard risk. 

No seniors were actually harmed in the making of this exercise.

RELATED: US Highway 11 reopens after hazmat situation in Lenoir City

Deputy chief Jerry Phillips with Blount County Fire Department said the drill is an opportunity for local emergency responders to work together on a complicated incident.

“It sharpens our expertise, so if and when a situation like this does happen, we can be prepared and be able to handle it,” Phillips said in a statement.

The Blount County Fire Department led the drill this year, and personnel from six other local fire departments and emergency response services participated. A deputy from the Blount County Sheriff's Office also attended to show how the department's aerial drone can be used in situations involving hazardous materials.

RELATED: Overturned truck carrying 6,000 pounds of explosive chemical closes mile-long stretch of Georgia highway

The drill is funded by a federal Hazardous Materials Equipment Planning Grant administered through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. 

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