Scores of firetrucks and emergency vehicles could slow your commute this morning as local law enforcement officials conduct disaster drills.
About 33 task forces made up of three fire engines, a ladder truck, a rescue squad, three ambulances and a chief's command car will motor down four different Chicago highways between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. In total nearly 297 different agency vehicles and 900 personnel are expected to participate in the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) drill. MABAS is a multi-organizational emergency response system used in Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Indiana.
The Tri-State Tollway, the Kennedy-Edens, the Northwest Tollway and I-80 could encounter some delays due to the exercise.
This MABAS drill is intended to simulate a large, tornado-spawning storm hitting the Chicago metro area.
Emergency vehicles will not use sirens during the trip from McCormick place to staging locations in Hoffman Estates, Glenview and Tinley Park.