PERRYSBURG, OH (Toledo News Now) - The annual Fort Meigs firework display took place Tuesday night for the cities of Perrysburg and Maumee.
The fireworks go off at the Fort Meigs memorial bridge that connects Maumee and Perrysburg.
The firework display attracts thousands of people out here, but the influx of people has fire and police departments at full staff.
"We're going to have people, where we're going to keep people in the station and then spread around the fort because when we have a problem at the fort there's so many people we can't get the trucks through, so we've got to strategically place people throughout and send the closest person down there," said Perrysburg Fire Chief Jeff Klein.
Thousands of people are expected to be at the show every year, and that influx of people leads to some roads being blocked off to the public so rescue vehicles can maneuver through during emergencies.
"Fort Meigs Road between Indiana and Eckel Junction Road, it will be southbound traffic only, we leave northbound lanes open so we can get emergency vehicles through there," Detective Pat Jones explained.
Not only are the large crowds at the event a big concern for local law enforcement and rescue agencies, but the dry weather has them on high alert as well.
"You have a lot of things people don't think about. Mulch that dries out, if people have wood shingles on the roofs and fireworks land on that, that could be a problem, even leaves inside the eavesdrop, if they're dry enough and a bottle rocket lands in that, that can cause a big problem for us," Klein said.
"One of our concerns is fires from fireworks because not only is it the displays that are going on, but people have their own backyard displays going on so we get concerned about grass fires or you know just debris laying around with how dry it is and fires starting that way," Jones said.
Special events like the firework show has everyone on the Perrysburg fire and police department's staffs working, and have even brought in extra help from the Wood County Sheriff's Office and the Perrysburg Township Fire Department to make sure things go as smoothly as possible.
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