Savannah Fire Preps for St. Patrick's Day Crowds

Savannah, GA -- It's almost here…the second largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the country. Organizers expect more than 400 thousand people to descend on our city.

When we were on River Street this morning there were some tourists and tons of deliveries being made. As the day’s turned into night, more and more people are out enjoying themselves.

Before the thousands go into establishments for food and green beer, Savannah Fire officials do their part to make sure the buildings are safe.

"I've got 155 as you see here, and that requires that I have to have a minimum of 2 exits in this building for safety," Deon Groover, a fire marshal for Savannah Fire & Emergency Services checks the occupancy posting.

Fire Marshal Deon Groover walks me through Olympia Cafe on River Street, checking for fire safety along the way…to see if outlets are "live" and could be harmful to children. He also make sure emergency lights and exit signs will work if the power goes out or if there's a fire.

"We want the people to be able to see that sign to be able to get out of this building safely," explains Groover.

Savannah Fire fire marshals began preparing for St. Patrick's Day festivities 6 months ago.

"We want to make certain that the city is in its best condition for its visitors and guests," explains Craig Landolt

That means making sure restaurants, bars, hotels, and theaters are in tip top shape with no flammable materials in storage rooms and that they have working fire extinguishers.

“We don't want anybody to grab this extinguisher thinking it's working properly whether it's an employee or it's somebody visiting the establishment and it doesn't work," adds Groover.

Savannah Fire officials aren't just doing inspections on the inside. They're also preparing on the outside. They have these locked boxes full of all of the equipment they'll need to fight a fire strategically placed along River Street and in City Market.

"If there's some sort of emergency occurring, common sense would dictate that we're going to need room to get personnel in so to move back out of their way and let the professionals do their job," adds Landolt.

Savannah Fire & Emergency Services fire marshal, Craig Landolt, says if it doesn't seem like anyone has called 9-1-1 to report an emergency, do that. Also, identify the location as best as possible.

There is a corridor along River Street for emergency personnel along the sea wall so that they can move more quickly around the crowds during an emergency.

So, as you're heading out tonight and tomorrow, it's important to be safe while having a great time.