Politics & Government

Plainville Police Announce End of Training Exercises

After a night of helicopters and explosions, the military exercises at the Old Wood School in Planville have come to an end.

For those worried about going to sleep tonight, the late night military training exercises that took many in Plainville and Wrentham by surprise have come to an end.

The Plainville Police announced via their Facebook page earlier today that the training has been completed, to the delight of many who were shocked at the magnitude of the exercises.

From approximately 8 p.m. to around 11:30 p.m. on August 1, a training exercise conducted by the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces with permission from Police Chief James Alfred and Town Manager Joseph Fernandes occurred at the Old Wood School in Plainville. The exercise saw soldiers in low flying helicopters land at the building and do entries into the facility with ammunition. No live ammo was used during the exercise.

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Originally expected to end well before midnight, an unexpected error forced the exercise to go late into the night.

“We were told it would be over by 10 p.m. There were some mechanical difficulties with the planes,” Plainville Police chief James Alfred said.

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Alfred went on to say that due to the simulation style of the training, the military chose to go on and play the situation out instead of ending at the original finish time of 10 p.m. The noise also became an issue when residents across Plainville and nearby Wrentham could hear the training and see the low flying helicopters.

Due to the unexpected high level of noise, a reverse 911 call was only set to residents living in a quarter of a mile radius of the Old Wood School.

“In hindsight, I think we should of had a larger radius,” Alfred said.

The quarter mile distance was recommended by the exercise organizers.


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