Doctors and nurses at Allegheny General Hospital will see a flood of about 20 mock mass casualty victims Thursday morning as part of a drill at the Level 1 trauma center.

The scenario will focus on a fictional tragedy at Acrisure Stadium, the centerpiece of 2026 NFL Draft festivities descending on Pittsburgh next month.

Some of the volunteer actors could be made up by moulage artists to look injured within an inch of their life. Others may appear normal from the outside, but report warning signs of internal injuries.

One or two are usually tasked with illustrating the emotional burden of surviving a mass tragedy, even if they haven’t suffered major physical harm, adding another layer of difficulty for hospital staff.

“We want the whole gamut of patients for these types of events,” Dr. Brent Rau, medical director for the emergency department at Allegheny General Hospital, told TribLive on Wednesday afternoon.

He declined to disclose the nature of the simulated event. Part of the drill’s purpose is to catch staff off guard, especially those early in their careers.

“It’s an educational thing for residents who haven’t gone through these types of things before,” Rau said.

Allegheny General Hospital does these dry runs a couple of times a year.

In September, the hospital simulated treating injuries from a hazardous waste spill. Barb Deevers, 61, of Lower Burrell participated as an actor, portraying someone who had been hit by an ambulance responding to the event.

She’s taking part again Thursday and has no idea what her role will be.

“I’m game for whatever,” she said.

Announcements in the emergency room and through internal communications will kick off the exercise. Everyone will be made aware it’s a drill.

Staff will then go to their assigned stations.

Most of the mock action will take place outside of the emergency department. A triage tent may be visible from Sandusky Street.

Normal operations won’t be impacted, Rau said.

UPMC runs similar events at its trauma centers.

In a statement, UPMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Donald Yealy said the organization has been working with the NFL and “our local partners” in preparation for the massive crowds coming to Pittsburgh for the draft, which runs April 23 to April 25.

“We have a long history of responding to all community needs including planned and unexpected events, partnering to make sure we serve as many as needed with excellence,” Yealy said.

Allegheny General Hospital may be tailoring Thursday’s scenario to one of the biggest gatherings in the city’s history. But as Rau noted, a mass shooting, explosion or some other horrible event can strike at any time.

“Frankly if you look at the history of mass casualty events in general they’re usually not at the big planned events,” he said. “That’s why we prepare for them all the time, regardless of if we’re going to host the draft or not.”