Police, firefighters, paramedics conduct disaster simulation involving plane crash, chemical spill in Tel Aviv.
By BEN HARTMANReading emergency drill 311(photo credit: JPOST.COM STAFF)
Hundreds of police officers, paramedics and firefighters took part in a mass emergency preparedness drill in north Tel Aviv on Thursday.The drill simulated a scenario in which a plane crash at the Reading Power station causes a leak of dangerous chemicals and natural gas.RELATED:Vilna’i: We've never been better prepared for all-out warSiren sounds as nation drills response to missile attackThe simulation included the participation of a few dozen teenagers and soldiers sprawled out on the grass north of the Tel Aviv port, playing wounded and dead victims. One of the extras began suffering from heat exhaustion while lying in the mid-day sun, and was evacuated by paramedics who quickly realized that it was not part of the exercise. Police Spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said that in such an incident like a plane crash at Reading, police would cordon off and evacuate the Tel Aviv neighborhoods north of the plant due to the presence of hazardous chemicals in the shifting winds.Bomb squad teams would then move in to deal with the hazardous materials while all area hospitals would undertake preparations for a mass influx of casualties.
