Lexington’s Jacobson Park closed Wednesday for a chemical safety exercise
Jacobson Park will be closed Wednesday morning into the afternoon while officials with the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program and Lexington’s Division of Emergency Management conduct a chemical spill exercise.
The drill will last from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. There will be increased traffic in the park area, including police and fire department vehicles and Lextran buses.
The exercise will simulate an accident involving chemical agents stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond.
Patricia Dugger, director of Lexington Emergency Management, said in a news release Wednesday that training and smaller exercises are conducted throughout the year. But the larger annual exercise gives the various agencies a chance to work together and test various response actions that would be used if there was a real emergency.
“This year’s exercise is vital,” Dugger said. “With chemical agent neutralization processing underway in Richmond, we want to ensure that we’re ready for a chemical agent emergency or any other emergency that could affect Fayette County residents.”
The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program is made up of agencies from 10 counties in Kentucky. The Lexington emergency operations center will coordinate Fayette County exercise activities.
