First responders on standby as Harley 110th celebration kicks off

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- As Harley-Davidson's 110th anniversary celebration kicked off on Thursday, August 29th, somewhere in Milwaukee, in a secret room, hundreds of first responders stood by, waiting.

In case there's a crisis, a secret team has been assembled in what some might call "The Bat Cave," but for security reasons, no one will disclose where it's located.

"It's police, it's fire, it's federal, it's hospital, it's Health Department," Lisa Hass-Peters, RN and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin said.

And it's nothing new.

"We've done this before. We've prepared, for this and other major events in our city and we're ready with whatever happens," Hass-Peters said.

After all, the city says it has been there, done that.

"We've known it's been coming for five years," Hass-Peters said.

If they're not in the secret room, you'll likely see them in the midst of chaos. Police, firefighters and paramedics are all on call for the busy weekend.

"Because of the volume of riders I mean accidents happen. They're gonna happen," Hass-Peters said.

And when they do, Milwaukee-area hospitals say they've got it under control.