COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Sirens, flashing lights and emergency vehicles surrounded Columbus Technical College on Tuesday morning — but it was all part of a planned drill.

Multiple agencies participated in a mass casualty exercise simulating a tornado on the campus off Manchester Expressway.

The drill involved the college’s police force, Columbus Fire and EMS, the Columbus Police Department, the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies. Students and cadets acted as victims while first responders worked through the simulated chaos.

Chance Corbett, director of Columbus Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said training like this is critical for situations first responders don’t encounter every day.

“They’re necessary because our first responders, they know how to do their

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