Douglas County Emergency Management will host a full-scale training exercise Friday in Lawrence.

The purpose of the exercise, which will involve multiple agencies, is for emergency personnel to practice hazardous materials and patient-handling procedures.

The exercise, which will simulate a transportation-related hazardous materials incident, is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Youth Sports Complex, 4911 W. 27th St.

Participating agencies will 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.

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 in a news release Wednesday. “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.”