If you happen to be in the area of 19th and Haskell Wednesday you might see a bit more activity than normal. That’s because a slew of local emergency responders and organizations will be gathering there for a training exercise.

The groups, which range from local law enforcement and fire-medical to Lawrence’s school district and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, will be simulating an incident involving hazardous materials, Douglas County Emergency Management said in a news release. The goal of the exercise is to ensure that the public and private sectors can work together in emergency situations.

The participants will set up a command center and have emergency support crews in mobile command vehicles parked at the scene, which is at the Fire Medical Training Center, 1941 Haskell Ave.

“Periodic exercises like this help our response agencies test their individual plans and our overall county emergency operations plan so that we will be better prepared to help our community during a disaster or major emergency,” said Emergency Management Director Teri Smith.