Photo by Scott Monroe

The call came in shortly after 1 p.m. today: There was a "Hazmat spill" at the GE Security plant in Pittsfield. The town fire and rescue departments responded to the facility on North Main Street within minutes. It was unknown what kind of hazardous material had spilled and how much. The building had been evacuated, officials reported.

But when fire and rescue responders arrived, there was hardly anybody outside. That's because the emergency report was a drill, held by the GE plant once a year. After securing the area and treating three "victims," the drill ended shortly after 2 p.m.