City officials discuss St. Patrick’s Day parade safety preparations

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - With just two weeks until Savannah hosts its famous St. Patrick’s Day parade, city leaders are showing us how they plan to keep people safe.

Officials say it’s all about being cohesive with all the units there.

This is far more than just the city; agencies of all levels, from local to federal, will be here, and they all have been planning this effort for months.

“Obviously, we have a heightened state of awareness because of the climate, we plan for this all year long, and incorporated in that planning is constant threat assessments,” said Savannah’s Police Chief Lenny Gunther.

Last year, the city created the major special events task force.

“This year’s planning started as early as May last year, that’s how big an undertaking this is,” said Jason Pagliaro, Savannah Director of Special Events.

March 16th, you’ll see some of the bleachers getting staged, and then a lot of work will happen on parade day itself.

“People are going to have a better time. They’re going to come here, and they’re going to go home safely, which is exactly what we want to see for St. Patrick’s Day,” said Savannah City Manager Jay Melder.

With all the fun and allure of Saint Patrick’s Day in Savannah, there’s an equal amount of vigilance for keeping that fun protected.

That’s where this group comes in.

City leaders, local law enforcement, and even the Georgia State Patrol all had a message.

“They’re going to have an aggressive focus on unsafe and impaired drivers,” said John Crews, George State Patrol Captain.

“We have a unified command structure,” said Pagliaro. “Same way we would approach a hurricane or natural disaster or national incident”

“These measures are not about enforcement for its own sake, they exist to prevent emergencies before they happen,” said Derek Minard, Savannah Fire department chief.

Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther was one of many who reiterated that all hands are on deck.

He says SPD plans on covering not just the parade route, but the entire city with a heightened response.

We asked him about the potential threat with the Iranian war going on overseas.

Lenny Gunther, Savannah’s Police Chief said, “What I can say is that there is no credible threat to us locally or regionally but we don’t want to get tunnel vision just on that. Again, we plan for a wide range of scenarios and we are fully prepared.”

One of the most important things that keep all agencies able to respond fast is the operation center the city sets up at the traffic control center.

“With that, we are able to coordinate where officers are needed, EMS where they’re needed, fire where they’re needed,” said Pagliaro. “Deal with traffic controls, deal with traffic signals, all those things in real time.”

The first step they’re taking to prepare is with “no parking” signs on March 11th — next Wednesday — to prepare citizens.

Another press conference will be held next week at the traffic control center to give more details.