CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Passers-by should note that the emergency personnel and vehicles on campus this Wednesday are part of a planned exercise.
A hazardous materials drill involving the Urbana Fire Department, the School of Chemical Sciences and the University of Illinois Police Department will take place July 27 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
The exercise will take place at Roger Adams Laboratory, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana. Oregon Street between Goodwin and Mathews avenues will be closed during that time; signage in the area will inform nonparticipants of the drill in progress.
Several participants will be “exposed” to hazardous chemicals; responders will practice the on-site hazmat response. The media will have a staging area just west of the southwest corner of Oregon Street and Goodwin Avenue.
“There have been a few minor incidents involving chemicals on campus in recent years,” said Jeremy Leevey, the Urbana Fire Department’s fire prevention officer based at UFD’s campus fire station. “We need to be ready to handle events of varying scales and severities, and the opportunity to train on campus provides valuable experience.”