Nearly 700 Wisconsin National Guard troops partnered with the city of Waukesha Police Department and civilian emergency responders to conduct a full-scale disaster exercise in Waukesha beginning Aug. 28.

In the three-day disaster exercise scenario, an E5 tornado devastates downtown Waukesha, requiring a mass casualty response. This coordinated effort will involve trained volunteers, area hospitals, all levels of emergency management and the Wisconsin National Guard.

Waukesha area residents should expect to see military vehicles, equipment and personnel in and around the Waukesha County Expo area. Additionally, some roads in downtown Waukesha will be reduced to one lane, and the public should expect some brief delays around the center of the city as well as the Expo grounds.

The Waukesha Police Department volunteered to host the exercise, which is required to validate the National Guard Reaction Force’s (NGRF) ability to conduct its civil support mission.

The NGRF is a rapidly deployable, all-hazards temporary task force which supports local authorities by providing site security, conducting presence patrols, establishing roadblocks and checkpoints, controlling civil disturbances, protecting selected assets, and providing force protection and security for the 54th Civil Support Team or the Wisconsin National Guard’s CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Explosive) Enhanced Response Force Package.

The NGRF is designed to respond to an incident ahead of federal assets and capable of quickly delivering an initial force of more than 100 personnel and follow-on force of several hundred within 24 hours.

Wisconsin National Guard units participating in the exercise are headquartered in Appleton, Camp Douglas, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Fort Atkinson, Madison, Marinette, Menomonie, River Falls and Watertown.