WAUWATOSA, Wis. — Jessica Luedtke said preparation is key, especially before the Republican National Convention. 

She’s the chair of the Emergency Preparedness Committee for the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, which includes Froedtert Hospital, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Children’s Wisconsin, Versiti and Curative Care. 

“If something happens in the southeast Wisconsin area, they’re coming to the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center,” said Luedtke.

That’s why staff from the medical center, along with the Wauwatosa Police and Fire Department, ran through an emergency scenario that deals with civil unrest. Luedtke said this is something that could potentially happen during the Republican National Convention.

“We feel it’s important to exercise plans both publicly and privately to come up with a solution or plans we can execute to keep our people and visitors of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center as safe as possible,” said Luedtke.

Luedtke said it’s important to be prepared for anything, such as an active shooter, a medical emergency or even severe weather. 

Wauwatosa Assistant Fire Chief Barbara Kadrich said this type of training shouldn’t alarm the public. 

“We try to set our bars really high and our training levels to our worst-case scenario so when we’re responding to emergencies that are usually not reaching the levels that we’re practicing at,” said Kadrich.

While the RNC is not until next year in July, the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center and Wauwatosa first responders will continue to run through drills to ensure they’re prepared for any situation.