Hinsdale firefighter/paramedics, along with about 25 firefighters from eight other area fire departments, practiced their hazardous materials response techniques Saturday near Ogden Avenue and Adams Street.
The staged scenario involved illegal dumping of chemicals into a creek behind the Institute in Basic Life Principles, at 707 W. Ogden Ave.
Team members responded to a pretend report from a resident who claimed to see a man pouring liquid from barrels on the back of his truck into the creek, said firefighter and hazmat technician Mike Wilson, one of three members of the Hinsdale Fire Department on the hazmat team.
The barrels actually were filled with water and an EPA-approved dye, which turned the water a fluorescent color, Wilson said. A mannequin was used for the truck driver, who was found unconscious on the ground by the truck.