Bowling Green may have looked like an emergency situation today — but it was just practice.

Complete with a smoke machine, more than 120 emergency management personnel, first responders and volunteers took part in a simulated full-scale hazardous materials training exercise on Wednesday in the center of town near Bowling Green State University.

“About 120 people are registered, so we’re very excited about that,” said Wood County Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Klein. “One of the things that’s challenging about one of these exercises is that it’s all volunteer based. … Overall, I think this is going to be a really great exercise.”

The simulated hazardous materials situation begins with a real call to 911 by volunteer Diana Clayton, left, as directed by emergency controller Barrett Dorner, next to the railroad near Bowling Green State University on Wednesday. Dorner is the Lake Township fire chief.

The EMA had a list of objectives for the day that started with a call to 911 to begin the simulation. Responder safety, help for simulated victims transported to Wood County Hospital and Mercy Perrysburg also took place.

Members of the Bowling Green Fire Division set up a second truck as part of the simulated hazardous materials Emergency Management Agency led disaster training exercise on Wednesday.

A smoke machine vehicle operated by the EMA with the Wood County Local Emergency Planning Committee, simulated a potentially hazardous materials leak from a railroad car.

Klein said that the National Weather Service brought staff for plume modeling, which can help predict the direction of hazardous gas plumes, a central function of this year’s exercise.

“Most importantly, the wind is going in one direction right now, but if it changes in two hours they can let us know when they are anticipating that wind change and evacuate people somewhere else,” Klein said.

Wood County Sheriff’s Office drone pilot Lt. Brian Bonnough scans the simulated disaster area from the air for potentially injured victims on Wednesday using their mobile command post, in support of the Wood County Emergency Management Agency led simulated hazardous materials railroad disaster training exercise.

The event took place in coordination with the City of Bowling Green, Bowling Green Fire Division, Bowling Green Police Division, Bowling Green State University, Wood County Hospital, American Red Cross, Mercy-Perrysburg Hospital and staff from CSX railroad and a shipping company.

“This has been planned before the most recent rail incidents,” said Regional Supervisor for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency Tammy Feehan. “This is probably about 14 months of planning in the works today. It really takes that time to bring people together and to work through the process and review the plan and getting all the points of review that the state emergency response commission is looking at.

“The nice thing about this exercise, even though artificialities are built into it, is this is a plausible event. This could happen. So it’s really nice to work through this process and identify any gaps in the plan that need to be addressed,” Feehan said.

A briefing at Bowling Green State University begins on Wednesday for the 120 emergency services personnel and volunteers taking part in a simulated rail disaster, held jointly by the Wood County Emergency Management Agency and the Wood County Local Emergency Planning Committee.

The exercise took place on Pike Street, from North Enterprise Street to Thurstin Avenue, which was closed. The Red Cross was set up in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom in the BGSU student union, and several other adjacent rooms and parking lots were also used by first responders.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to partner with the county and local officials, and get an opportunity to see how they are operating, especially in an emergency situation, but also how we can partner with them,” BGSU Police Chief Mike Campbell said.

(LaPointe also took all of the photos accompanying this story.)

Wood County Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Klein, center with Facilitator vest, briefs volunteers and emergency services personnel in advance of the simulated hazardous material disaster training exercise on Wednesday.