Wake-up call: a bioterrorism exercise

Operation Wake-Up Call was a simulated bioterrorism exercise conducted in Waukesha County, Wisconsin (Metropolitan Milwaukee) on November 6, 1999. The purpose of the exercise was to test and evaluate the emergency response capability of local municipal, county, state, federal, and reserve military agencies to a weapons of mass destruction terrorist act. The exercise simulated a biological agent (Bacillus anthracis spores) release, a hostage-taking event, and the management of multiple biological and conventional weapons casualties that overwhelmed local first responders' capability. The exercise involved local, county, state, and federal agencies in a joint operational environment featuring integrated command and control systems. This report describes the primary purpose, goals, and assumptions of the exercise and reports on the evaluation of Wake-Up Call by the participating agencies.