Until recent years, Douglas County’s doctors and nurses never had much reason to rub elbows with police officers and sheriff’s deputies.

The 9-11 attacks on America changed that; both groups realized they would have to work together in any major emergency. And during the past three years, they’ve been planning to do just that.

But they haven’t put those plans into practice until now. On Wednesday, health and emergency officials gathered to plan their roles for next month’s “Flu-X” exercise that will simulate a local response to a public health emergency — a bioterror attack, say, or widespread flu outbreak.

“It’s better to get to know each other now, instead of waiting for a public health emergency to happen,” said Kim Ens, disease control program coordinator for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

Lawrence Police Capt. Dan Affalter, who attended Wednesday’s meeting of health, emergency and school officials, agreed.

“It would be a learning curve to get used to our style of work,” he said. “And vice versa — we’re not used to worrying about things they’re worried about. It’s new ground for all of us.”

The Flu-X exercise will be Oct. 23 at Free State High School. It’s designed to allow the Health Department the opportunity to practice vaccinating a large group of people in a short time. Flu shots will be free to the public that day. Everyone ages 6 months and older will be able to get the shot.

Officials are hoping for 3,300 people to line up that day.

“We are needing people to come through,” Ens said. “We want to be challenged.”

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Those who come, however, will have to go through intake and triage procedures that would be used in an outbreak.

“This is not going to be a regular flu clinic,” Ens said. “They’re not going to get in and out like they’re used to.”

Douglas County is one of 10 Kansas counties participating in the exercise, which is federally funded. State health officials will monitor the exercise and make recommendations on how to improve.

The Health Department also is accepting volunteers who want to help with Flu-X. More than 200 support personnel, vaccinators, translators and vaccinator drawers are sought.

Volunteers can call Stacy Robarge at the Health Department, 843-3060.