Newton Medical Center has rescheduled an emergency drill to take place on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 9 a.m. The original drill scheduled for Jan. 30 had to be postponed due to the inclement weather conditions.

NMC will conduct the routine drill with the Covington Police Department, SWAT team members, EMS and volunteers from NMC Volunteer Services and the Newton Career Academy. The emergency drill will not involve any patients and will not affect the daily operations of the hospital.

"NMC would like to inform members of the community not to be alarmed when they see local police surrounding the hospital during the drill. There should not be any concern for the safety of patients, hospital staff or visitors," acting marketing director Anne Gantt said.

The routine drill will allow hospital employees and local safety personnel to practice the procedures put into place for an emergency situation in which patients, visitors and staff are at risk of being confronted by a person with a weapon or of being involved in a violent crime/hostage situation.