Heartland hosting emergency exercise Friday

Posted on April 9, 2025
Heartland Community College. (Photo courtesy: Heartland)

NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — Heartland Community Collage announced that it will be hosting a large-scale emergency response exercise on Friday.

The exercise will occur on the school’s North campus at 1 p.m., and will simulate a fire in the Electric Vehicle Lab, an HCC news release stated.

Local first responders and students from Heartland’s Health Sciences division will practice a drill around a scenario of a lithium-ion battery fire inside the Electric Vehicle Lab.

During the exercise, emergency vehicles will be on the scene and non-toxic simulated smoke will also be used.

The Advanced Manufacturing Center and the Student Commons Building will be briefly evacuated as part of the drill, but students and staff will be allowed back in shortly after. The drill is expected not to interfere with regular classroom operations.

WMBD TV can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…