If you traveled around downtown West Palm Beach on Saturday, you might have seen several road closures and a large law enforcement presence near the courthouse.
It's called Heat Shield 2, a training exercise designed to make sure all first responders in Palm Beach County are prepared for any emergency.
The exercise started 6:00 a.m. Saturday and the operation included the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and other South Florida agencies, including the West Palm Beach Police Department.
The exercises will test regional agency coordination, response, and rescue efforts.
WPTV caught up with Palm Beach County Fire and Rescue near Pike Rd. They told us this training is crucial because it gives different agencies a chance to interact with one another.
Practice makes perfect," Palm Beach County Mayor, Melissa McKinlay said. "It's not a matter of if it's a matter of when... to know that we're not trying to figure this out as we go, we've got these plans in place, and we're able to respond."
The training was scheduled to end at 7:00 p.m. and that is when roads will reopen.
