About 3 million packages of radioactive materials are shipped each year in the United States, either by highway, rail, air, or water. Most radioactive material is shipped on the highway. In Hampton Roads, radioactive materials are shipped routinely to medical centers and other places. Federal, state and local agencies strictly regulate how radioactive material is transported to protect people and the environment. Still, accidents can and do happen. Working with our partners at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Beach Fire Department is hosting a regional HAZMAT exercise to prepare our first responders to deal with a highway accident involving the release of radiological materials. For HAZMAT teams responding to an incident involving the release of hazardous material(s), it is not always readily apparent that the accident involves radiological material. This exercise will address this and other challenges that face fire departments when responding to these types of emergencies. Fire departments from Southside Hampton Roads participated in the exercise at the Harry E. Diezel Virginia Beach Fire Training Center located at 927 South Birdneck Road. Photos by the VBFD Multimedia Services Unit © 2019 – City of Virginia Beach Fire Department. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the expressed prior written permission of the copyright holder.For more information or permissions to use, please contact Darnell Evans at DEevans@vbgov.com.