Agencies to participate in full-scale emergency training exercise Sept. 23

Douglas County Emergency Management will be hosting a full-scale training exercise on Friday, Sept. 23, at Youth Sports Complex, 4911 W. 27th St., in Lawrence.

Approximately 100 representatives of multiple agencies from state, regional and local organizations will participate in the exercise. These agencies include: Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, Douglas County Consolidated Fire District No. 1, City of Eudora Fire Department, Douglas County Emergency Communications Center, LMH Health, Lawrence Police Department and numerous other agencies and departments from Douglas County and the City of Lawrence.

The exercise will take place from approximately 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the scenario will simulate a transportation-related hazardous materials incident. Law enforcement, fire and medical units will respond to the simulated incident where personnel will practice hazardous materials and patient-handling procedures. Douglas County Emergency Management will activate the Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center, where agencies will practice their emergency support functions and operating procedures. LMH Health will activate its Hospital Incident Command Center to exercise its medical surge and patient decontamination plans.

The exercise is funded by a Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant from the Kansas Department of Emergency Management. Ascenttra is the contractor selected to facilitate the exercise.

“Hands-on training exercises like this are important in helping our community prepare for, respond to and recovery from disasters that may occur, such as the tornado and historic flooding that occurred in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020,” Douglas County Emergency Management Director Robert Bieniecki said. “They provide a valuable opportunity for agencies not only to practice their plans and procedures, but also to practice coordinating a multi-agency response to a major incident.”