ST. JOSEPH — Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials were impressed following a graded emergency preparedness exercise of the Cook Nuclear Plant Tuesday.

Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey told Berrien County Commissioners Thursday that FEMA officials said, “I wish the rest of the country was like Berrien County.”

“It was very well ran,” Bailey said of the emergency exercise at the plant in Bridgman.

Sixth District commissioner Jeanette Leahey, who was present for the exercise, was impressed.

“They (the evaluators) feel Berrien County has set the bar very high,” she told the other commissioners. “I believe we’re going to get a good evaluation.”

During the exercise, the county displays how it responds in the event of an emergency at the plant.

This year several groups of volunteers assisted with the exercise, including the Seventh-day Adventist Service Unit, the sheriff department’s victim service unit, the Berrien County Chapter of American Red Cross and members of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). Police services, fire services, animal control, public works, health services and emergency medical services also were involved.

The sheriff’s department spent three months preparing for the FEMA evaluation.

The results will not be available for at least two months.