Safety plans in place for Mifflin Street Block Party

MADISON, Wis. –  The city of Madison has spent months preparing for this weekend’s Mifflin Street Block Party.

The celebration typically draws thousands of people to the 400 and 500 blocks of the street and surrounding area. 

For months, Building Inspection and the Madison Fire and Police departments have been working together to ensure everyone stays safe on Saturday.

Building Inspection
Building inspectors have been conducting routine checks since February. They were looking for things such as broken steps, rickety railings and low-hanging wires.

Crews looked at 58 properties and issued 26 notices of violation for needing structural repairs. More than two dozen clean-up notices were also sent to property owners, asking for items such as sofas to be removed from porches. By Tuesday, only a handful of these properties still needed to make these changes.

Building inspectors are asking for Mifflin attendees to be aware of their surroundings on Saturday and to avoid overcrowding on porches and balconies.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, gravity doesn’t selectively apply to those who create the problem. It’s a long fall from 13, 14, 15 feet to the ground, and the likelihood of injury is high,” said Building Inspection Director Matt Tucker.

Madison Fire Department
The Madison Fire Department has two additional ambulances and a walking team dedicated to any EMS emergencies that arise Saturday, along with its baseline staffing in the downtown area.

Code Enforcement Officers went door to door in the weeks leading up to the block party to do preventative education and outreach. 

Madison Police Department
More than 150 officers are assigned to work on Saturday, including dozens of officers on the Special Events Team. These are officers specifically trained in crowd management. This unit just held a full team training last week, in preparation for the block party.

Officers will be walking, biking, on horseback and using drones to patrol the area.

The Madison Police Department also just updated its policy regarding intoxicated persons ahead of Saturday. The Amnesty Through Responsible Action policy would shield someone from being ticketed for underage drinking if they call for help during a medical emergency.

"Our main hope for Saturday is that people have fun and stay safe," said Madison Police Captain Kipp Hartman, who currently oversees the Central District. "We know students are going to host these parties; we just hope that they will keep them manageable in size."

Officers will also be going door to door on Wednesday talking with residents and property owners. They will encourage people to put up "no trespassing" signs, remove vehicles from the area and to lock up any valuables inside their homes. A glass ban is in effect for the area for the day.  

Other Safety Tips

• Cooperate with officers and other first responders if you are contacted during Saturday.
• Be careful of overcrowding on balconies and porches. If you sense a porch is overcrowded, move back into a house and encourage others to do the same.
• Do not climb trees or light poles.
• Remain with a friend at all times if possible.
• Remember officers are here to help you; reach out when needed.