Preparedness training May 14 tests multi-agency coordination

MEDIA ADVISORY
April 27, 2026

Local agencies will conduct a multi-jurisdictional exercise to test emergency response capabilities in and around Glenwood Springs, Thursday, May 14. The exercise will not be an actual incident; it is a simulation of an emergency scenario.

Traffic impacts
The Garfield County Courthouse’s river side 7th Street route will be closed May 14 during the exercise, for response vehicles to travel through the area. Access to the courthouse parking lot on 7th Street, and the City of Glenwood and Garfield County parking lots on Colorado Avenue will remain open via 8th Street and Cooper Avenue. Traffic along 8th Street is expected to experience minimal disruption and operate in the usual manner. For the exercise, emergency vehicles will not use sirens and lights, unlike during an actual emergency incident.

Access to and business conducted in the Garfield County Courthouse, Glenwood Springs City Hall, and Garfield County Administration building, as well as to local downtown businesses will not be impacted. However, in the event of an actual emergency downtown, these locations may be impacted, so the incident drill is to test multi-agency coordination for preparedness training.

Preparedness planning
The exercise plan will involve law enforcement and emergency medical services (EMS) vehicles, personnel and activities operating centrally in the area of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office in downtown Glenwood Springs.

The drill will test response capabilities and evacuation plans of the Garfield County Jail, and will involve the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management in Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Springs Fire Department, Glenwood Springs Police Department, Valley View Hospital, Grand River Health, the Garfield County Coroner’s Office, Colorado River Fire Rescue, Grand Valley Fire, Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District, Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), Garfield County, Public Health, and other mutual aid agencies.

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office locations in Glenwood Springs and Rifle will be closed May 14 for personnel training.

Public messages surrounding the incident on the day of the exercise will lead with ‘this is a drill’ to avoid confusion or concern for the community.

For questions involving this exercise before and during the training, please reach out to the Garfield County Communications Department at 970.384.3844.