Between 40 and 60 volunteers and dozens more officials are preparing for Ouray County’s first emergency evacuation exercise in Elk Meadows southwest of Ridgway on Friday.

The event will simulate what it would be like to evacuate the neighborhood three to four hours into a wildfire.

The county is no longer accepting volunteer evacuees or actors to play other roles during the exercise.

Contrary to a report from a Grand Junction television station, participation is now closed and visitors are not encouraged to participate in lifesaving scenarios.

Residents may see increased traffic and emergency vehicles participating in the drill, traveling from Elk Meadows, down Sherman Street to the Ouray County 4-H Event Center.

Those still interested in learning more are encouraged to sign up for the county’s emergency alert system and educate themselves on what they would need to do if an evacuation affected their neighborhood. You can sign up for the alerts by texting “ourayalerts” to 65513 or visiting ouraycountyco.gov.

Friday’s drill will begin at roughly 9 a.m. in the Elk Meadows neighborhood and may run until 4 p.m. More than 20 entities are involved in the event from the local to state level.

Emergency Manager Glenn Boyd said preparing for the exercise has proven just as valuable as the activity itself.

“Even if we fell on our face on Friday, which we will not, this is all worth it,” he said.

If a real emergency happens during the drill, first responders and law enforcement will pivot and respond to that real-world situation. Real emergencies will take precedent over the drill.

Boyd said he’s fielded calls from about 10 news outlets who plan on covering the event, attributing their interest to the hot topic of wildfire.

“It’s the talking point of the season, and we’re doing something about it,” he said.