If you see a lot of first responders working on the campus of Cal State Long Beach next week, don’t be alarmed, it’s only a drill, the university said Monday.
CSULB is expected to host the hazardous materials response exercise Thursday, Jan. 11 where the Long Beach Police Department, Long Beach Fire Department, the National Guard and other hospital staff could be present.
While the college does periodic drills for other emergencies, next Thursday’s event will be significantly larger, said Allyson Joy, the emergency manager with the CSULB University Police Department.
Joy said there will be a large presence in the parking lots on the north end of campus, but there shouldn’t be any sirens as there would be in an actual disaster. The drill will be kicked off with an air horn, she said.
“Everyone is going to be here when it’s go time, so there won’t be any sirens,” Joy said.
This size drill is simulated about every four to five years, Joy said, adding that the need for such a large response is “technically in the realm of possibility” given the chemicals that are present on campus for the university’s labs, swimming pools and other uses.
“It would take a lot of gross negligence for something like our situation [on Thursday] to happen,” Joy said, adding that this is practice for a worst-case scenario.
The drill is expected to be conducted on the north side of the campus near Atherton Street and run from 7 a.m. to noon, according to the university.
The campus is currently hosting winter session classes, but the spring semester isn’t scheduled to begin until Jan. 22. The drill isn’t expected to disrupt any classes, Joy said.
University officials are asking people to be aware of the drill and not call 911 if they see it.