Behind the scenes: The efforts to keep campus safe during Halloween and Homecoming weekend

Last week, the Homecoming celebration marked its triumphant 114th year. Students, alumni and community members showed their Badger spirit throughout campus, culminating in a parade down State Street and a highly anticipated home-game matchup between Wisconsin and the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

While seas of red clothing covered State Street and Camp Randall, there were a few noticeable outliers. Donning reflective vests and watching from emergency vehicles, Madison’s first responders were gearing up for an eventful weekend. 

The Daily Cardinal rode along with the University of Wisconsin Police Department (UWPD) and Engine 1 of the Madison Fire Department (MFD) to get their perspective on how campus life affects their work.

A night with the UWPD

After the parade and early into Saturday morning, officers were briefed on the night ahead. They anticipated a hectic night but ended up surprised at the relatively low number of calls during the evening. 

The night started off with a bang. Within the first few minutes, officers, with lights flashing and sirens ringing, raced to a local hospital for a report of an individual, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, attempting to escape. Officers worked to deescalate the situation and the person was brought back to the hospital later that night. While the situation was intense, one officer later said he felt he was “genuinely making a difference” when working in the field.

Following that call, the night was heavy on traffic enforcement around campus. Officers stopped various vehicles due to headlight violations. On one stop, officers conducted a field sobriety test after smelling alcohol on the driver’s breath. The test indicated low levels of alcohol, and the individual was released without the ability to drive. Their vehicle was parked by an officer in a lot close by. 

As officers drove around, they noticed many students were in the Halloween spirit. One officer said “that’s terrifying” in response to seeing a person dressed as Ghostface from “Scream” walking down Observatory Drive in the dark. On University Avenue, a group dressed as the Teletubbies stood out.

Despite the somewhat calm night, UWPD was already preparing for gameday. Events at Camp Randall typically require the coordination of several different public safety agencies. For this one game, UWPD told the Cardinal more than 150 officers from around Wisconsin were brought in to monitor the more than 76,000 fans in attendance. 

In an email, the UWPD said 25 people were arrested and 51 were ejected during the football game. A total of 31 citations were issued, mostly for underage alcohol violations.

A ride with the MFD

The next evening, the Cardinal arrived at Station 1, Madison’s largest and busiest firehouse, housing two truck companies in addition to the Lake Rescue Team. While Station 4 is typically known for its responsibility for responding to incidents on campus, Station 1 also covers a portion of UW-Madison and backs up Station 4 when additional resources are needed. Due to the high volume of medical calls typically received during Camp Randall games, it is procedure for an ambulance to be allocated to Station 1 for post-game evenings — something not typical of day-to-day operations, MFD told the Cardinal. 

It wasn’t long until the first alarm went off.

“Let the fun begin,” one firefighter said.

With its horn blaring and lights flashing, the truck arrived to a smell of smoke which turned out to be a false alarm. While other firefighters were sent in to do an interior inspection, Engine 1 was dismissed back to the station.

“This will be busy tonight,” one firefighter said while driving past Langdon Street on the way back.

After arriving back at the station, firefighters rushed to the second floor — where one television displayed the World Series and the other covered Camp Randall’s matchup.

As the Badgers fell to Penn State, firefighters discussed the rumor that fans would have stormed the field and thrown the goal post into Lake Mendota. “We would have to go in and get it,” a firefighter said. Oxygen tanks and scuba gear were a reminder of Station 1’s unique responsibility safeguarding the waters around Madison.

And after one Lieutenant showed off his ability to name several species of dinosaurs, the firefighters were back on the road, responding down State Street with sirens blaring when an individual took a fall at State Street Brats.

Music was pumping and onlookers stared as responders hauled heavy medical bags up the stairs. It took less than five minutes for the victim to be assisted to the awaiting ambulance. 

Nestled in the back of Engine 1, the firefighters expressed their love of the job. While they showed regret for the types of incidents that they had to respond to, they said they wanted to be the ones to help in those times

“We want to be the ones to do it,” one firefighter expressed. 

Overall, UWPD reported several notable incidents throughout the weekend. Officers responded to several incidents requiring medical assistance, including alcohol intoxication and mental health welfare checks. 

MPD also responded to a variety of calls during the weekend, including one where a person's finger was partially bitten off during a bar fight.

Due to the timing of Halloween, city leaders are anticipating another upcoming busy weekend. An MFD briefing informed firefighters that holiday-related festivities would likely continue into the first weekend of November, Station 1’s firefighters told the Cardinal.

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