Press Release

Emergency Drill planned at Montgomery County Complex on Broadway - May 16

County Plans Drill For Saturday To Provide Effective, Unified Response To An Emergency

FONDA - County Executive Matthew L. Ossenfort announced Tuesday that Montgomery County will hold an Interoperable Communications Drill on Saturday, May 16. The drill will take place at the County Office Building and Montgomery County Courthouse complex, located on Broadway, in Fonda. The drill will take place in the morning and a portion of Route 30A will be closed during the drill.

The drill is being conducted and sponsored by the Montgomery County Emergency Management Office and will have components of an active shooter, hazardous materials, fire and police response and transportation to the emergency room at St. Mary's Hospital, in Amsterdam. The drill will include participants from Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, New York State Police, New York State Department of Transportation, Montgomery County Department of Public Works, Hazmat, St. Mary's Hospital, New York State Court Security and the Red Cross.

"The goal of this exercise is to give First Responders an opportunity to run through these scenarios, should they ever take place," Ossenfort said. "This drill will show what our strengths and weaknesses are and allow representatives from key groups to collaborate on a cohesive response. The safety of county employees, court security and local residents is a top priority."

This drill has been planned for several months and is being conducted by a private consultant, C3Pathways, out of Orlando, Fla. The training, which also has a tabletop component taking place on Friday and includes an after action plan, is being paid for by a state grant.

"The purpose of this drill is to test our ability to respond and communicate in a time of disaster or emergency," said Jeffery T. Smith, Director, Montgomery County Emergency Services.

"We planned this drill so that if an emergency ever takes place, our First Responders have experience dealing with the type of scenarios they may encounter," said Legislator Joseph M. Isabel (District 8), Chairman of the Public Safety Committee. "Since Jeff has been in charge of Emergency Management, he has made it a priority to have much better coverage for the people of Montgomery County."

"St. Mary's Healthcare is pleased to partner with the County Emergency Services, as they evaluate the community's ability to respond to a potential crisis situation," said Jerri A. Cortese, Director of Community Relations, St. Mary's Hospital. "While we hope that the training is never necessary, knowing who and where we have resources is critical to our ability to respond to issues that could threaten the security of our community."

The drill will start mid-morning and is expected to last approximately two hours. Route 30A will be closed from Route 5 to Wemple Avenue and a detour will be posted. Residents who live in the surrounding areas will be receiving phone calls to inform them of what is taking place and that this is a planned drill.