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Chesterfield County Tests Disaster Response With Full-Scale Exercise

TL;DR: Chesterfield County conducted a full-scale disaster response exercise on October 17 at its airport to test how emergency responders coordinate during a major incident.

The story

Chesterfield County's emergency management division conducted a full-scale disaster preparedness exercise at Chesterfield County Airport on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The five-hour exercise, which ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., tested how the county's National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) responds to major emergencies by simulating a large-scale incident and evaluating the coordination among local, state, and federal agencies.

The exercise involved personnel from Chesterfield County Fire and EMS, Chesterfield County Police Department, and representatives from state and federal agencies. Participants practiced critical disaster response procedures, including patient reception from the simulated disaster, triage operations, patient transportation, and coordination with hospitals and care facilities. The exercise was designed to identify coordination gaps and readiness levels across the multi-agency response structure.

County officials issued public advisories asking residents to avoid calling 9-1-1 during the exercise unless there was a genuine emergency, to stay clear of Chesterfield County Airport during the training, and to expect increased emergency vehicle traffic in the area. The exercise was not open to public observation. The county did not publicly release specific details about the scenario or formal exercise findings, though such after-action reports are typically completed internally to assess readiness improvements.

Key players

• Chesterfield County Emergency Management: Organizer and coordinator of the exercise
• Chesterfield County Fire and EMS: Emergency medical responder participant
• Chesterfield County Police Department: Law enforcement participant
• State and Federal Agencies: Partner agencies participating in multi-jurisdictional response
• Central Virginia Healthcare Coalition: Healthcare coordination component

Why it matters: Full-scale exercises allow emergency responders to identify coordination problems and equipment gaps before a real disaster occurs. For county residents, a well-trained and coordinated emergency system directly affects response times and casualty outcomes if a major incident does strike Chesterfield County.

Places

• Chesterfield County Airport

Related links

• Chesterfield County Emergency Management

Read the original at Chesterfield County (YouTube) →

Sources

• Disaster Response Training at Chesterfield Airport
• Emergency Training Exercise at Chesterfield Airport
• Chesterfield County Emergency Management