FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – Bridge Day is almost upon us and that means hundreds of thousands of people from all over the United States and beyond descending on Fayetteville.
When you have that many people in one place at one time, safety is a serious issue.
“Down at the bottom they’ll be prepping the landing zone, and that involves a bunch of different people,” said New River Gorge Park and Preserve District Supervisor Dave Bieri.
“Jancare will be down there setting up a little mobile hospital with their ambulances for any kind of medical incident. Fayette County Search and Rescue is usually down there the night before putting up rigging in the trees so they can pull people out of trees if they get stuck. So a lot of that kind of stuff going on right now, prep with the landing zone and coordination.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the National Guard, are represented at Bridge Day.
“We’ve done it this way for over 20 years, since 9/11,” Fayette County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Jess McMullen said. “We’ve gotten really good at making sure it works.”
With so many moving parts, Bridge Day is a collaborative effort. The Bridge Day Commission meets long before it pulls it all together, along with the National Park Service.
“Also the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, the town of Fayetteville, the county, the state, state law enforcement, local law enforcement, federal law enforcement and all that’s part of Bridge Day,” said Bieri. “Security is a major concern when you got this many people out on a bridge. So a lot of different federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are involved, a lot of coordination, a lot of different groups of people working together.”
No weapons are allowed on Bridge Day. Mcmullen says though West Virginia is an open carry state — at an event like this there are stipulations.
“If someone has some negligent thoughts like that, this is not the time and place because we are well equipped and there’s a lot of law enforcement presence at Bridge Day,” the deputy said.
According to Bieri, Bridge Day is always energy-packed and great to see so many people enjoying the park. He expects it’s going to be an especially big event this year.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve been even busier than usual, the NRGPP district supervisor said. “We’ve been seeing a lot of people who had plans to go down to the North Carolina/Tennessee area, people who were gonna go to the Smoky Mountains or Blue Ridge Parkway that had to cancel those plans because of all the flooding there. With Bridge Day I think it’s just gonna add to the busyness of it all.”
“It’s neat seeing that many people come to our little area here and visit,” added McMullen. “Having that amount of people helping our economy out.”
Folks who attend Bridge Day every year can attest to the security and safety measures, the deputy says. When the road closes traffic is a mess, detours people have to drive around, but it’s not forever.
“It’s every year, you know it’s coming. If you don’t have to be out that day or you’re not coming to Bridge Day, stay home or wait ’til the road opens back up,” ” said McMullen. “It’s gonna be hectic for a little while in the detour areas, but just be patient.”
