(FORT CARSON, Colo.) — People in the area of Fort Carson may notice an increased presence of emergency vehicles around Carson Middle School and other locations on Sunday, May 6, as the army post conducts an integrated protection exercise to test the emergency response capabilities.

According to Fort Carson, the exercise is expected to last several hours, and along with the high presence of emergency personnel, there will be signs posted saying “Exercise in Progress.”

The Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization & Security will establish the Emergency Operations Center, and the exercise will include first responder operations and the involvement of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Carson staff and some 4th Infantry Division assets in support. External partners, such as District 8, will also play a role.

“Conducting this exercise is crucial in evaluating Fort Carson’s ability to respond to emergencies,” said Col. Erik Oksenvaag, garrison commander of Fort Carson. “The safety of our Soldiers, Families, and civilians is a top priority of ours. We appreciate District 8’s support in helping us to identify and improve our emergency response procedures so that we may be better prepared in the future.”

There will be an increase in traffic in the area and some delays in services as response elements from the garrison staff react to the scenario. Service members, families, civilian employees, District 8 employees, and students should take additional precautions and allow extra time for travel on post.

Garrison staff have completed smaller exercises throughout the year that have built up to this integrated protection exercise, in order to ensure the post is prepared to respond to any potential emergency situation.