Nicholasville has been a part of the program for almost two years, and Baker said the Aug. 30 exercise was an important part of getting needed equipment.
The BGAD is one of eight locations in the United States where chemical weapons are stored. Because of this, CSEPP is working with surrounding communities to upgrade their emergency response capabilities.
"Once a year CSEPP will exercise," said John Carpenter, director of Jessamine County Emergency Management. "There's an annual schedule, the actual full-scale exercise is at the end of October."
Carpenter added not only does this exercise prepare the area responders for a chemical accident, it is also good training for other forms of hazardous material training.
During the exercise, student volunteers allowed for a complete process, meaning, according to Carpenter, "They're getting wet."
Once the exercise began, the various departments quickly set up the staging area and were ready to assist patients in a matter of minutes.
"I think we did very well," Baker said. "Everybody there was able to take care of problems presented, including unforeseen problems the evaluators threw at us."
Baker added in a real world event, it is highly unlikely Jessamine County would be affected with a direct hit, saying by the time a chemical cloud reached the county, most of it would have dissipated.
He said the area's primary duties would be to assist with overflow patients from Madison County.
The end result of the exercise, Baker said, was Jessamine agencies were in line for around $300,000-$400,000 in equipment.
"This will give us a lot more capability," he said. "This same equipment can be used for other hazmat incidents."
The city's full complement of on-duty firefighters took part in the drill. As part of a mutual aid agreement, the Wilmore and Jessamine County volunteer fire departments were on call to cover any emergency inside the city.
