Agencies to test emergency response plans Wednesday morning near Detroit stadiums

Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press
·1 min read
The Detroit Tigers play the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park in the sixth inning in Detroit, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022.

Local, state and federal agencies will conduct an emergency exercise on Wednesday at multiple District Detroit sports venues.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, along with the city and private partners, will test emergency response plans to "a complex coordinated attack" affecting the sports venues. The exercise scenario will involve simulated incidents around Comerica Park, Ford Field and the Little Caesars Arena, evaluating on-scene security and protection, mass care services, situational assessment, public information and warning, and operational coordination, according to the city.

The exercise is expected to test the preparedness of the stadiums, QLINE, and federal, state and local emergency responders to protect patrons', workers', residents' and visitors' safety in the event of an emergency.

"The District Detroit full-scale exercise provides a valuable opportunity to assess the interagency coordination and public safety response to multiple incidents, and to identify potential areas of improvement," said Hilton Kincaid, deputy director of Detroit Homeland Security and Emergency Management, in a statement.

Residents are requested to avoid the area from 9 a.m. to noon.

Southbound lanes of Woodward Avenue will be closed from Sproat to Henry Street.

Training will affect QLINE operations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The service will run short southbound to the Sproat station. Northbound service will start at the Adelaide station. The Montcalm, Grand Circus Park, Campus Martius and Congress stations will be closed during the training operation.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact Dana: dafana@freepress.com or 313-635-3491. Follow her on Twitter: @DanaAfana

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Agencies to run emergency response exercises near Detroit stadiums