As 12s celebrate Seahawks parade, officials are prepared to keep them safe
Seattle officials prepare for safety as up to 1 million fans attend Seahawks parade
Seattle public safety agencies are ramping up security and traffic plans ahead of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX victory parade, with as many as one million fans expected to line Fourth Avenue downtown on Wednesday.
SEATTLE - As many as a million fans are expected to pack the streets of downtown Seattle to celebrate the Seahawks' Super Bowl LX win.
It's going to be a massive crowd that has leaders thinking about your safety. Officials said they are ready to keep this celebration safe.
You can bet 4th Avenue will be jamming. 12s from all over the Puget Sound will be repping their championship gear and celebrating this Super Bowl win.
Traffic cameras capture Seahawks fans flooding downtown Seattle at 1st Avenue and Yesler Way. (SDOT)
"Seeing this team, you know, go and do that, win a championship for us, especially against the Patriots? It's perfect, it's perfect," fan Vincent DeBlasio said.
There's a feeling of great success on the streets of downtown Seattle. For fans like DeBlasio, it's about to get a lot more fun.
Seattle's public safety agencies have prepared for the Seahawks' World Champions Parade on Wednesday.
"Last time I went to the parade, I got stuck and the cops had both ends of whatever street I was on blocked off, so I just kind of got stuck there. So, that wasn't great. So, I'm going to try to find a better spot to do it," DeBlasio said.
What's next:
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is activating its Emergency Operations Center and coordinating with Seattle Police, Fire, SDOT, and others to host as many as a million fans downtown.
Seattle police will have extra officers working alongside officers from neighboring agencies. They said the parade route on Fourth Avenue will close to cars at about 6:30 a.m. to provide a clear path.
"With the deployment of a lot of officers, we're going to be using a lot of barriers in place and vehicles, to keep vehicles from coming on to the parade route or into the crowds along those lines," Capt. Marc Garthgreen said.
Seattle OEM officials said you can sign up for "Alert Seattle" texts to keep you updated on any safety or traffic issues by texting "PARADE" to 67283. We signed up and it took less than 30 seconds.
Alert Seattle text message on Super Bowl parade
"We're reaching out a number through a variety of different ways. The Seahawks have put out a notice. King County Metro, Sound Transit have also put out emails along those lines. Alert Seattle is going out. We're putting things out on the blotter," Capt. Garthgreen said.
Officials said they started planning for this day after the NFC Championship win. They've added more portajohns, aid stations, and additional trash and litter collection.
What they're saying:
King County Sheriff's deputies told FOX 13 News they'll be keeping Metro and Sound Transit areas secure. They'll also support SPD along the parade route.
If you look up, you may even see Guardian One, King County's helicopter, or one of their drones keeping watch from the sky.
"Ultimately, we just want everybody to have fun, be safe. We're really looking for people to just be smart. Right? We want people to stay off of light poles, obviously stuff that we would think, right? Stay off of the bus terminals. You know, falling is a real risk," Deputy Jace Hoch said.
A Seattle Police cruiser parked in downtown Seattle (FOX 13 Seattle)
They said Wednesday is a day for all the 12s.
"People are going to be packed in a small area. Pedestrians have the right of way when it comes to vehicles. Plan on being here for a while because it's going to take some time getting out of here," Hoch said.
From the first snap, to the cannons of confetti, Seattle's champions are home.
"Go Hawks! Thank you for the 12s! Thank you, everything, this, this right here," DeBlasio said.
Officials said all the streets that intersect with Fourth Avenue along the parade route are going to be closed during the parade.
They said they plan to reopen Fourth Avenue at approximately 4 p.m.
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The Source: Information in this story came from Seattle Police, the Seattle Office of Emergency Management, the King County Sheriff's Office, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.