For Immediate Release
Friday, May 31, 2019
Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net
Natick Police and Fire Departments Announce Large-Scale Critical Incident Training Exercise at Natick Mall
Training Exercise to be Held Sunday, June 2, from 6:30-10:30 p.m.
NATICK — Police Chief James Hicks and Fire Chief Michael Lentini would like to notify Natick and the surrounding communities that local first responders will be conducting a large-scale critical incident response training exercise at the Natick Mall this weekend.
The training will take place at the Natick Mall on Sunday, June 2, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. There will be a large law enforcement presence at the mall during this time, but there should be no cause for concern or alarm.
All businesses at the mall that will be open after 6:30 p.m. will not be affected by the training exercise and they will remain fully accessible by the public. In addition, the residents at the Nouvelle at The Natick Collection condominiums will not be impacted.
The Natick Police and Fire Departments will be conducting the training exercise in conjunction with their municipal, state, federal and corporate partners. The training will be done inside of the mall, in an area where businesses will be closed for the night, per their regular operating schedules.
In addition, the Massachusetts Parole Board, located at 12 Mercer Road, will serve as the incident control station for the operation.
“Anytime we can get our public safety partners together to conduct training such as this is beneficial for all parties involved,” Police Chief Hicks said. “The safety of our residents is paramount and being able to conduct a training exercise such as this in a controlled environment gives all of us valuable insight and experience as to what it would be like to respond to a large-scale emergency incident in our town.”
Fire Chief Lenitini said, “We would like to give our thanks in advance to the Natick Mall community and to the businesses in and around Sherwood Plaza for being flexible while this exercise is ongoing and we appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.”
The exercise is partially funded by a federal homeland security grant awarded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research.
Anyone with questions or concerns should contact Natick Police Sergeant Brett Conaway at conaway@natickpolice.com or by calling 508-647-9500.
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