CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Anyone heading downtown early Wednesday who spots a crowd of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks outside the Tennessee Aquarium should not be alarmed. Chattanooga police and the aquarium are holding a planned safety training exercise there on Oct. 21.
The drill starts at 7 a.m. on the Aquarium Plaza. Crews will be working around the drive-thru horseshoe where Broad Street meets Aquarium Way, then through the plaza and west toward Chestnut Street. No roads are scheduled to close while the exercise is underway.
A long list of agencies is taking part. Along with Chattanooga police, the drill includes the Chattanooga Fire Department, the FBI office in Chattanooga, Hamilton County 911, Hamilton County EMS, Hamilton County Emergency Management, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the school district’s security operations division. State troopers, UTC Police and Tennessee Homeland Security are also on the roster.
Organizers are asking people who see the activity not to call 911, since the scene is a rehearsal rather than a real emergency.
The aquarium sits in the heart of downtown, the walkable riverfront district that serves as the civic and business core of the Scenic City, which makes it a busy spot for a large-scale exercise. Drills like this give responders from different agencies a chance to practice working together before they ever face a real crisis in a crowded public place. Drivers passing the plaza that morning will see the emergency vehicles, but traffic on surrounding streets is expected to keep moving.
Section: More Chattanooga TN crime news
Filed under: Chattanooga TN Public Safety News
