A community emergency exercise, which was postponed in April as a result of the Boston Marathon bombing, will take place at UF between 7 a.m. and noon.
The exercise will temporarily block access to campus near Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Activity is also expected around the UF Health Science Center, University Police Chief Linda Stump wrote in an email sent to faculty, staff and students Tuesday.
UPD Spokesman Maj. Brad Barber said the full-scale exercise — which will include first responders, university officials, student volunteers and hospital personnel — provides UF with a learning environment to practice emergency mass casualty plans, policies and procedures.
More than 200 participants and observers are scheduled to attend, he said.
Volunteers will portray victims and be transported to emergency rooms including ones at UF Health Shands Hospital.
UF emergency management coordinator Hal Grieb said once the “victims” arrive, doctors will respond to simulated injuries designed to mirror the ones that could result from a real scenario.
“The simulation will include mass casualty incidents,” Grieb said, “Anything that can range from cuts and scrapes to more serious incidents.”
The evaluation points for the exercise and the plan itself are based on the public safety plan at the stadium and the comprehensive emergency plan at UF.
“Looking at community safety, certainly there are many challenges that are faced in the world we live in today,” Barber said. “These exercises help better prepare us to meet those challenges.”
