CITGO Lemont Refinery and the Chicago Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hosted a full day, live tabletop exercise (TTX) to analyze and enhance the coordinated crisis response between private and public partners across Illinois.

The large-scale training event consisted of a site-specific exercise scenario in which all stakeholder organizations could identify and analyze their own actions through the lens of the greater, synchronized effort to control a fictional Weapons of Mass Destruction incident.

"It's our culture to be safe, secure and reliable at the CITGO Lemont Refinery. We're always identifying ways to improve our facility for a more secure environment for our employees and the community," stated Jim Cristman, CITGO Lemont Vice President and General Manager. "Continuous improvement and identifying gaps in performance is what this drill represents, and we're excited to be partnering with FBI's Chicago Division on this effort."

"Exercise was an excellent example of the type of proactive, collaborative training that is integral to assuring our readiness in the face of a crisis," said Dennaris Coleman, Assistant Special Agent in Charge with the FBI's Chicago Division. "These types of exercises are critical in understanding our partners' capabilities, resources, and procedures and having that intelligence helps us to better respond in the unlikely event of a real incident."