Wright-Patterson ‘hazmat’ exercise on Wednesday could affect traffic, gates

Hazardous materials training at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base could affect gate access and travel on the base Wednesday.

Base personnel will conduct hazardous materials, or “hazmat,” training, and the base is warning that the exercise could impact:

* Gate traffic, which could be backed up or rerouted to other entry points if a gate is closed.

* Emergency-response vehicles moving around the base.

* Travel congestion.

* Some roads may be blocked temporarily.

* Increased security measures.

* Activation of a base-wide public address system, sometimes called the “giant voice.”

* Use of telephone and other electronic-notification methods.

Credit: 88th Air Base Wing

Credit: 88th Air Base Wing

Surrounding communities may hear the sirens or the “giant voice” public address system, the base said in a release Monday.

During the exercise, the Installation Command Center will use different communication modes across Areas A and B to alert base employees of the training.

When the notification goes out, installation first responders will hurry to the staged release location, the base said.

“There they will assess the situation and employ the measures to safeguard life and mitigate the effects of such an event. As first responders do so, 88th Air Base Wing’s inspection team will evaluate their response on-scene as well as any potentially affected areas on Wright-Patt,” the base said in its release.

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