Emergency management personnel in Knox County, Blount County, Sevier County, and Hamblen County, along with response agencies will conduct an emergency exercise on Wednesday, July 12 and Thursday, July 13, 2023.  

The public may notice emergency equipment and personnel participating as part of the exercise.  Participating agencies, including American Medical Response (AMR), Karns Fire Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Fire Department, Knoxville Police Department, Rural Metro Fire Department, and University of Tennessee Police Department, will be simulating response activities at or around the following locations in Knox County: UT RecSports Complex, the Knox County Northwest Sportspark, the Knoxville Police Department Training Center, and Rural Metro’s HAZMAT Station.  These activities are part of the exercise. 

The exercise will begin at approximately 8 a.m. EDT and conclude around 2:30 p.m. on both Wednesday July 12 and Thursday July 13, 2023.

This event is the result of extensive, year-long planning efforts across all four counties, including over 50 officials. The exercise is intended to test the ability of emergency management personnel to effectively conduct emergency operations in the case of a large-scale, multi-jurisdictional event.  It will test the counties’ inter-agency coordination, interoperability, and communications functions.  With the support of the listed response agencies, District 2 Homeland Security, FEMA’s National Exercise Division, The University of Tennessee, Knox County Parks and Rec, and many others, we expect this event to be very successful. Exercises like this help response efforts by allowing agencies to practice skills and identify potential areas for improvement.