McDuffie County emergency services will get a test this Sunday afternoon.
A disaster drill is scheduled from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. near the old Thomson Company buildings on O'Neal Street.
Bruce Tanner, director for the local Emergency Management Agency, said the drill will cause the closing of Salem Road (previously Cboard Way) from Augusta Highway to O'Neal Street at 2 p.m. The intersection at Boulevard Drive and Salem Road will also be blocked.
Mr. Tanner said the test, which will involve nearly a dozen agencies and 60 personnel, will help local agencies react in case of an actual emergency
"This drill will give us a closer look at coordinating first responders to hazardous material incidents, emergency operations at the 911 center, and reactions by the EMS and hospital to some decontamination situations," he said.
Mr. Tanner said while one drill is mandated by the state every three years, McDuffie County holds one annually.
"The whole purpose of the training is to get the agencies to learn an established plan instead of haphazard reaction," he said. "With adrenalin increased in an actual emergency, the better the knowledge of how to react should translate into better handling of the incident."
This scenario, which will be conducted without sirens, will be staged near the railroad tracks. Mr. Tanner said a school bus accident will have victims with various injuries, along with other situations dictated by the drill.
