TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- A fake Halloween radio broadcast about a train chemical spill leading to zombie-like behavior fooled some people calling 911 in Grand Traverse County.

Jason Torrey, deputy director of the Grand Traverse County 911 system, said he is aware of up to three 911 calls that came in Thursday, Oct. 31, during a broadcast prank on Rock 105.1 (WGFM) in Cheboygan and a sister station in Glen Arbor. The false report was actually a rebroadcast from Halloween 2012, but apparently had more people concerned this year.

"We don't think it's too funny," said Torrey.

He plans to review the broadcast to see if there are any Federal Communications Commission violations.

The Halloween evening broadcast, staged by WGFM disc jockeys, passed news about a purported government email about a train leaking chemicals from Ludington to the Detroit area and that people should avoid getting close to the tracks.

Later in the 23-minute broadcast, they talk about a "bath-salt style attack" in Cadillac and a similar attack in downtown Traverse City with "blood everywhere."

The broadcast ends with the sound of breaking glass at the Cheboygan station, some screams and the song "The End of The World as We Know It" by R.E.M. playing afterward.

Listen to a recording of the broadcast here.

Torrey said dispatchers tried calling the radio station during the broadcast after they had received some 911 calls. Dispatchers could not reach anyone, so they posted a message on the 911 system's web page.

It said the following:

"FALSE INFORMATION ALERT: Some concerned citizens have called us stating that a local radio station is broadcasting info on a train derailment that is causing a Hazmat issue in the Traverse City area. There is NO train derailment (seriously), and we believe this is their version of some Halloween fun. Hope this clears things up! In the mean time, we are out searching for the Dogman. Happy Halloween!"

Torrey said dispatchers handled the situation in stride, but it could have been worse. The people who did call 911 told dispatchers they thought it might be a prank, but were not sure.

"The bottom line is people get nervous. It's not necessary. Come up with some other spooky story," he said.

Nate Smith, a disc jockey who goes by "Smitty" on air, said he did not think anyone would call 911.

He said that afterward, "I felt bad for the 911 dispatchers. I didn't want to make 911 more difficult."

Still, he said the broadcast accomplished the goal of offering Halloween entertainment and scaring people.

"We did have some people that fell hook, line and sinker," he said.

Smith doesn't think the station did anything legally wrong.

"We didn't break any FCC rules. We kept everything vague," he said.

E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johntunison