Champaign County first responders to hold training July 25

By Maaike Niekerk, Summer Editor • July 18, 2023

The Champaign Police Department announced in a press release earlier today that a joint training exercise will be held on Tuesday July 25 at Jefferson Middle School in Champaign.

Hosted by Champaign County first responders, the training exercise “will help prepare first responders for rapid response emergency scenarios and mutual aid needs that may occur in Champaign County,” the release said.

The training will take six hours, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and is designed to prepare and train first responders in “addressing major incidents in real time.”

According to the release, first responder vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks and ambulances will be present in the area surrounding the school during the day of the training.

Additionally, any nearby residents may hear the use of non-projectile “blank” rounds, as training weapons will be in use inside of the building. The general public is asked to avoid the training site on July 25.

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While Jefferson Middle School and its parking lots will be completely closed off, Crescent Drive will remain completely open.

In the release, CPD thanked Unit 4 School District “for their assistance and use of their facility” during the training exercise.

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About the Contributors

Maaike Niekerk, Arts & Entertainment Editor

My name is Maaike Niekerk, and I am a sophomore majoring in English with minors in music and journalism. I began working with The Daily Illini during the fall semester of my freshman year as a buzz staff writer, and joined the editorial team last summer. I love bringing live event coverage to you from Champaign-Urbana’s vibrant music scene and sharing stories of local artists and musicians. Outside of The Daily Illini, you’ll find me performing at every football game with the Marching Illini or cycling with the 2024 Illini 4000 bike America team.

Jacob Slabosz, Editor-in-Chief

Hey, I’m Jacob! I am currently a sophomore in computer engineering with a minor in German. I started at The Daily Illini in Fall 2022 as a news reporter and staff photographer, and by Spring 2023, I had worked my way to photo editor. Between March 2023 and March 2024, I was the Managing Editor for Visuals, and I have since taken over as Editor-in-Chief. When I’m not taking pictures for The DI or for fun, I enjoy cooking, water sports and tending to my numerous houseplants. I’m excited to use my background in coding to further automate out workspace processes and to see the content that our team produces!