- A big weekend for MSU Sports and St. Patrick's Day on Monday is set to bring lots of traffic to downtown East Lansing.
- The East Lansing Fire Department is conducting capacity checks this weekend to make sure neighbors are staying safe.
- Video shows thoughts from the East Lansing Fire Marshal, as well as students enjoying the weather downtown Friday afternoon.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
With a big weekend for Spartan sports and a holiday on Monday, businesses in East Lansing are preparing for some crowds. But they're not the only ones.
"There's record and history across this country of fires that have occurred and killed anywhere from 20 to hundreds of people," John Newman said.
East Lansing Fire Marshal John Newman says that history has led to increased precautions when it comes to large gatherings.
"It winds up being people are their own obstruction getting out of buildings that have caught on fire, and they can't escape," he said.
With a busy weekend anticipated, Newman says the department has plans in place to make sure neighbors are staying safe.
"We are going to be performing occupancy inspections and life safety inspections throughout the downtown businesses, as well as student group housing," Newman said.
The ELFD will be double-checking for overcrowding, and making sure that regulations about exits being blocked are being followed. Newman says it's an area they've been reactive to in the past when paramedics are called to an emergency, and they want to get ahead of it before it becomes an issue.
"Instead of waiting for them and then holding them on scene for a situation we're going to be remedying, we're just going to proactively make inspections on these properties right from the beginning," Newman said.
Newman tells me the inspections will take place every night through the weekend, ending on Monday night for St. Patrick's Day. He says they'll be checking in with downtown businesses routinely, and scoping out student parties off campus by driving through the neighborhoods, looking for those that may need to be reined in.
"We just want to make sure that everyone is safely enjoying their weekend," Newman said.
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