Emergency Workers Ready For Parades

Armed with a strategy book the Shreveport Fire, police and EMS workers are planning to make this years parade one of the safest. "The fire department staffing, the police department staffing, radio frequencies that type of thing, we get together months in advance in preparation for these large scale events,” explained Chief Brian Crawford, Shreveport Fire Department. The parade route has been split up into three areas to make sure everyone is safe, Area 1 is along the Parkway, Area 2 is Anderson Island, and Shreveport-Barksdale. "This is where we start to have the fire suppression issue because weve got some residents, apartments, commercial structures and some single family homes that are back there,” said Chief Crawford. Area 3 makes up East Kings Highway. Most of the emergency calls are medical related, anything from a cut finger to heart attacks. Youll even find paramedics on bikes, so they can easily maneuver the crowd. "I ask if you are out here and see them, dont try to impede them from doing their job, just obey the rules,” commented Chief Crawford.