Dark Sky Training in FDL County

A full-scale training exercise simulating a long-term mass power outage will be held in Fond du Lac County Tuesday. The Dark Sky exercise will create an increased presence of National Guard members, law enforcement, and utility workers around the area – but Director of Communications and Emergency Management Bobbi Hicken says there is nothing to worry about. 

Hicken tell us “what is going to happen with the community is that they may see a presence around the operation center of Alliant or at the substation on Van Dyne Road. Otherwise there will be no interaction with the citizens, there will be no power outages planned during the exercise, anything like that.”

She also suggests for residents to be prepared for the situation. Hicken says, just in case of a long-term outage, “people need to have a plan, people need toknow what they’re going to do
in the event that they don’t have power. Do they have enough food to sustain
themselves, do they have backup radios and things like that that they really
need to make sure they have so they can take care of themselves in those
situations.”

About a dozen National Guard members will be at each location, and there will be signs at the locations indicating that it is just training. The exercise is expected to run from mid-morning to about 7:30 at night.