Emergency Training Brings Host Of First Responders, Road Closures

ROMEOVILLE, IL — Romeoville residents will see an increased number of first responders and experience minor road closures next week when the Will County Emergency Management Agency will conduct response training.

The multi-agency training event will take place from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 6 in Romeoville and will simulate large-scale emergencies, county officials announced. The training is designed to evaluate communication between agencies and will include several key objectives including family assistance processes and coordination of state and local agencies.

As part of the training, the Village of Romeoville will be closing the 135th Street entrance to Grand Boulevard between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Village services will not be interrupted during the training and Village Hall and the Romeoville police station will remain open, officials said. Residents who need to access either building will need to enter the complex from the west entrance (Grand Boulevard & Anna Lane) and park in the police department lot.

Officials expect that hundreds of emergency personnel will be on-site at the village hall and training exercises will also be taking place along the DuPage River between 135th Street and 9th Street from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., officials said.

Isle a la Cache will be used as a staging ground and boat teams, ground search teams, and drones will be used. There may be some simulated gunfire. No road closures will result from this exercise, county officials said.

“The opportunity to bring these municipalities, the county, and the state together for this exercise is a critical component to creating a definitive plan of action to address all the scenarios that can and will arise,” Allison Anderson, the director of Will County EMA, said in a news release. “By continually training, we are prepared to handle any emergency.”