A simulated bomb detonation conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department Thursday interrupted the usual student traffic in and around Camp Randall Stadium as officers from around the state flocked to the scene.
After 15 months of planning, the UWPD, along with roughly 20 state agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted the largest test of disaster preparedness in the campus’ history, according to UWPD spokesperson Marc Lovicott. The simulation took place during a staged fun run at Camp Randall.
Just after 7 a.m., UWPD began the simulation by initiating smoke and an explosive sound effect at the eastern entrance to the stadium. Soon dozens of volunteer actors dressed as race participants began streaming from the stadium, some with fake injuries and others lying motionless on the ground near the entrance. Within minutes UWPD first responders arrived on the scene and carried several participants away from the building.
Lovicott compared the exercise to the situation at the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013.
“We saw what happened in Boston, and we saw this as an opportunity to practice and to see what we are good at and what we need to improve on,” Lovicott said.
Operation Wisconsin Dawn included a full-scale imitated investigation into the staged attack. At several mock press conferences throughout the day, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, UWPD Police Chief Sue Riseling and other officials revealed new information about the fictitious attack as they worked with the FBI to get to the bottom of the bombing.
Investigators had no prior knowledge of the details of the event. Throughout the day they learned the bomber had left an additional “bomb” in the stadium.
“We’re going to learn a lot, and, to be honest, I’m not sure what else to expect,” Lovicott, who also had a role in the simulation, said before the event began. “We want an element of surprise, and that’s why a different division of our department has been planning this.”
As part of the training exercise, officials deployed a bomb-defusing robot into Camp Randall to dispatch the second fake bomb. Investigators apprehended two suspected bombers before 5 p.m.
To test the ability of different departments to get information out to the public effectively, some of the dozens of volunteers acted as members of the press. Jan Klawitter, one such volunteer and employee of the State Laboratory of Hygiene, said she thought the event ran smoothly.
“Our goal as reporters was to test both what [the officers] were saying and how the information is flowing,” Klawitter said. “I think they probably found the things that work and the things that did not work.”
At every stage of the event, independent evaluators monitored the officers to gauge the preparedness of the agencies involved. Kelly Tyrrell, a simulation observer and employee of University Communications, said she was pleased with the way all the agencies and departments coordinated to put out a clear message.
“I was impressed by how quickly people could come together,” Tyrrell said. “There were times where some of the communications got confused, and that is exactly why we do these exercises.”
Lovicott said he was happy with how Thursday’s drill went and looked forward to debriefing with all the participants.
