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Residents of southwest Wichita will hear sirens and may see numerous emergency vehicles on the move Thursday — but there will be no cause for concern.
Occidental Chemical Corporation at 6200 South Ridge Road is conducting a series of emergency response training exercises in conjunction with Sedgwick County Emergency Management and local and county agencies.
The exercises, about three miles south of Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, are designed to train employees and emergency service providers on how to respond in a variety of potential incidents including chemical releases, fires and personnel rescues, Sedgwick County Emergency Management Planner Rick Shellenbarger said in a prepared statement.
One drill will include a shelter-in-place scenario involving nearby Oatville Elementary, with students and school staff participating. OxyChem will also test its near-neighbor phone alert system, Shellenbarger said, but each phone call will clearly state the call is part of a drill.
The training exercises will take up most of a day.
