Philly’s game plan: How the city is preparing for Super Bowl celebrations

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As the Eagles finish up last-minute practices and preparations for Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, so do the many city agencies tasked with keeping revelers safe.

The big game will likely be the most important and high-energy night of the year in Philadelphia. Assuming the Birds take the championship home, Philly is in for a night of celebration, with massive crowds congregating in the streets. Mayor Cherelle Parker, along with multiple agency heads, held a news conference Thursday to update the city on all things public safety as the big night draws closer.

“When we win, and people inevitably wind up on Broad Street or at Frankford and Cottman … be respectful of our fellow Eagles fans,” Parker said.

Fans poured into the streets two weekends ago when the Birds clinched the NFC title, drawing thousands of fans to the streets for what’s still expected to be a much smaller-scale preview of what the city will look like if the team is victorious. Amid plenty of joy and partying, multiple dangerous incidents marred the night — including the death of an 18-year-old Temple University student, Tyler Sabapathy, who fell after climbing a pole and died from his injuries.

“Please Philadelphia, I implore you, as your mayor, do not climb light poles or anything else,” Parker said. “I know this comes up every time we have an outdoor celebration after our Philly teams win, and I get it. But folks climbing or attempting to climb up a light pole, or a bus shelter, or really any structure for that matter — it can lead to tragedy.”

Also after the NFC win, eight people were hurt after a woman drove onto a sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of people celebrating. Thirty-one people were arrested that night, according to the city. Officials said the safety presence would be much higher after the Super Bowl.

All hands on deck

“We will have all hands on deck on Sunday,” Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Thursday.

To support the city’s police on Sunday, 150 state troopers will be on standby, and the PPD will have significantly higher staffing levels than usual. The fire department, Office of Emergency Management and SEPTA are also deploying additional teams, as well.

Emergency Medical Service and fire suppression teams will be positioned throughout Broad Street, Frankford and Cottman avenues and other busy areas.

“There will be 60-plus personnel in the Emergency Operations Center from more than two dozen city, state, federal and non-governmental agencies that are watching this game and this event from every possible angle,” OEM Director Dominick Mireles said. “That team is there to be dynamic and to respond to what we see. And frankly, to catch any behavior that we see so we can address it quickly.”

To that end, expect to spot some drones and helicopters in the night sky — personnel from those agencies will be deploying them to monitor crowds.

SEPTA will also have additional staff at “every station” to keep riders safe, according to SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer.

Perhaps the most iconic of all Philly safety measures is the greasing of poles to make it more difficult to scale them. In some past victory celebrations, the city has brought out the grease; this year, officials won’t say whether they are deploying that tactic.

“For public safety tactical reasons, we are not discussing it,” Parker said.

Bethel warned Eagles fans that the party won’t last forever.

“At some point, we are going to shut this thing down because we do have to prepare for Monday’s workweek,” Bethel said. “As things start to dwindle down, you will see my team start to move forward so we can clear and get the city and streets prepared.”

Road closures and SEPTA station shutdowns

Multiple roads around Center City and Northeast Philly will be blocked off from cars so that Eagles fans can congregate.

Parts of Broad Street, extending north to Spring Garden Street, will be closed to cars. Other streets in Center City to East and West Philly, as well as Cottman and Frankford avenues and the Five Points area, will also see closures.

Although the Broad Street and Market Frankfurt lines will continue to operate, SEPTA will be closing some stations in Center City “at the direction of local law enforcement, to make sure that we don’t put people in an unsafe situation,” Sauer said. He did not specify a list of stations or exactly what time they would shut down, but encouraged riders to check schedules on the SEPTA app or website.

Riders should also expect plenty of buses to run with detours to accommodate street closures — these changes should also be detailed on SEPTA’s digital platforms.

Staying safe

Officials emphasized that climbing light poles, bus shelters or other structures in the street means risking extreme injury or death, and warned against the use of fireworks.

“Fireworks are explosives. Even when they are used safely, they can misdirect and they can malfunction. Those explosives can blind, they can blow off fingers, and they can kill,” Mireles said.

For those planning on keeping their celebrations indoors, cooking is one of the most common causes of house fires in the city. Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said staying attentive in the kitchen is crucial for people hosting gatherings.

“When you are cooking, you should be present,” he said, emphasizing the danger of leaving the house even for a quick ingredient run when using the oven or stovetop, or getting distracted when socializing with guests in the house. “We suggest that you finish cooking before your guests arrive.”

Here are some additional safety tips:

• Checking that smoke alarms in the house are working properly. Call 311 to get an alarm installed if you need one.
• Be especially careful when frying food. Cooking grease can ignite fires when it becomes too hot.
• Use short sleeves or roll up shirt sleeves when cooking to avoid burns.
• Keep any decorations far away from open flames.
• Direct guests to smoke outside, not in the house.
• Don’t use extension cords for cooking appliances.

Anyone looking for updates about the city’s safety operations can text READYPHILA to 888-777.