Firefighters from Ascension Parish Fire District 1 and members of the Veolia Chemical facility emergency response team participated in a tabletop hazmat drill at the facility in Darrow, said Chief Officer James E. LeBlanc.

These types of training scenarios give our responders a hands-on learning experience as close to real life as possible, LeBlanc said in a statement. Many lessons were learned, along with building a better relationship with our industry partners and assets available to us when needed.

As part of the exercise, fire district members learned about the chemicals manufactured, stored and shipped at the facility, and what equipment would be needed to respond to the area, LeBlanc said.

The tabletop exercises are intended to provide an opportunity for local volunteer fire departments to test their ability to respond to hazardous materials incidents, LeBlanc said.

The exercises provide the opportunity to identify the response and coordination issues that could arise during a variety of hazardous materials scenarios and make the decisions to resolve those issues, LeBlanc said.

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Ascension Parish Fire District 1 firefighters participate in hazmat drill - The Advocate