MSU police will conduct its second phase of emergency preparedness Wednesday morning during a full-scale mock disaster exercise on campus.

About a dozen officials know exactly where the drill will take place - so responders such as MSU police, East Lansing Fire Department, the Office of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Safety and other local units will be able to test readiness.

"We want to test our preparedness, response function and our ability to recover from whatever may happen so we can make sure we have the proper planning procedures," MSU police Lt. Penny Fischer said.

A similar, smaller-scale drill was conducted in May, when officials simulated a biological disaster at Erickson Hall. The funding for the two-week program was made available via a $6,500 state grant, Fischer said.

MSU police have conducted more than 10 smaller practice sessions since the first drill in preparation for Wednesday.

"We fine-tuned some of our procedures in terms of handling hazardous materials, analyzing substances and we worked on the timing it takes us to get prepared to do all that," Fischer said.

"There was one big change on how we set up scenes and control areas and deal with perimeters to make sure people don't get into areas they shouldn't."

Police have limited options on what type of disaster to simulate because of the grant requirements and other logistics.

Students taking a final Wednesday morning won't be directly involved with the drill, as the main area of the staged location will be full of actors so police can control the scene. But students and faculty in the building or area of the disaster might still be asked to evacuate, depending on the circumstances.

More equipment and vehicles are scheduled to be in use Wednesday than there was at the last drill when only MSU police units responded with an emergency tent.

Emergency vehicles, MSU parking enforcement trucks and aerial assistance from the Michigan State Police are scheduled to respond to the drill.

Fischer said the drill was important to run before the academic year begins because of the possible risks campus presents.

"MSU is kind of like a small city, it could be a version of mini-New York," Fischer said. "Anywhere there's events with large amounts of people coming and going, that could always be a target for anything, whether it's somebody inside who doesn't like the university, or a terrorist who wants to disrupt what we do like research and development."

Another similar drill is planned to take place countywide in November.