First responders from across Kansas are headed to the Salina area this week to a large downtown gas explosion.

According to the Kansas Adjutant General’s Office, scores of participants from state, local and private organizations across Kansas will take part in a two-day emergency response exercise at the Crisis City training facility west of Salina. The event is Tuesday and Wednesday.

The exercise will run over a longer cycle than many exercises. The operational period will begin Tuesday at noon and continue through the day with a second operational period set to begin at approximately 6 p.m. and continue through midnight. A third operational period will begin at approximately 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

The exercise scenario will simulate a large-scale gas explosion in a downtown area. First responders, including search and rescue dogs, will be conducting response operations at the concrete rubble pile, gas pipeline and other training venues at Crisis City.