Savannah agencies urge St. Patrick’s Day paradegoers to plan ahead for safety

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - With St. Patrick’s Day celebrations taking over downtown Savannah Tuesday, local public safety agencies say the biggest way to stay safe is simple: have a plan.

Savannah Police and Chatham Emergency Management Services say planning ahead can make all the difference in a busy festival environment.

“We’ll all be ready and we’ll do our best,” said Chuck Kearns, CEO of Chatham Emergency Management Services.

Kearns has worked through a decade’s worth of St. Patrick’s Day parades in Savannah. He said there’s one thing they look out for every year.

“It’s alcohol, it’s always alcohol,” Kearns said.

Savannah Police Sgt. Joshua Flynn agreed, and said officers are working with Chatham EMS to keep people safe and healthy at designated command posts around downtown.

“It’s here to provide a location for people to come to to be safe. If we have to remove folks from the festival area they’re brought here. If somebody’s arrested they’re brought here. If somebody loses an item or family member, they can come down and let us know,” Flynn said. “And it’s a centralized location so it’s halfway between both sides.”

Whether someone needs a place to take a break or help finding a lost item or family member, the command posts are designed to keep dangers away from people and people away from potential dangers.

“If somebody needs us, we’ll be around. I encourage them to interact with us, say hi and whatever they’d like to do,” Flynn said.

Another key thing to remember: what your party members are wearing. Kearns said that if someone gets lost, have a picture ready to show emergency services of the outfit the missing person was wearing.

Kearns also pointed to past emergencies as an example of how quickly agencies can respond. He remembered how five years ago on a parade day a building collapsed, and responders had everyone at Memorial Hospital within 15 minutes, without a single casualty.

Chatham EMS and Savannah Police say they’re trained and ready for whatever tomorrow brings.