Emergency exercise on Thursday to affect campus access

May 28, 2013

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An emergency exercise at the University of Florida, which was postponed in April, has been rescheduled for Thursday morning and will affect access to campus around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium between 7 a.m. and noon.

The exercise will involve volunteers with simulated injuries and a large number of law enforcement, emergency and other personnel. UF police officers will be stationed around the exercise area to help direct pedestrian and vehicle traffic. There may also be increased activity in and around the Academic Health Science Center.

Impact:

• Gale Lemerand Drive

The road will be closed from 9 to 11:30 a.m. between the O’Connell Center parking lot entrance and Stadium Road.

Access to the O’Connell Center parking lot from Gale Lemerand Drive will remain open.

• Garage 7 (O’Connell Center)

Standard parking in the O’Connell Center lot will not be disrupted.

• Ben Hill Griffin Stadium access

Pedestrian access to the ground level of the Stadium concourse between Gates 1 and 18 will be closed from 7 a.m. to noon.

Pedestrian traffic outside the southwest corner of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the southeast corner of the O’Connell Center will be limited between 8 and 11:30 a.m.

All University Athletic Association Administrative offices, University of Florida offices in Stadium West, the Gator Ticket Office and the Heavener Football Complex main entrance will remain accessible.

The purpose of this exercise, referred to as Operation Urgent Impact, is to evaluate the University of Florida’s and the University Athletic Association’s mass casualty plans in support of large scale medical operations within hospitals and other public health agencies in Alachua County and the City of Gainesville.

UF remains committed to the safety of the campus community, and participation in this exercise is an important component in maintaining and improving university emergency operations.