Public Safety Services Promise Readiness for Super Bowl Festivities

Jan. 28--For three years, city leaders have been getting ready for the coming weeks, when an estimated million-plus people will stream into San Francisco for Super Bowl 50.

And on Wednesday, police, fire and transportation officials stressed that the 837,000 city residents -- many of whom want nothing to do with the nine days of festivities around the game -- won't be left high and dry if they need police or have a medical emergency.

"It's not going to be easy, and the system will be stressed, but I'm confident we'll be able to handle it," said San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White.

She, along with San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and Muni Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin, briefed the media Wednesday on the city's plans to strengthen public safety in the coming days of events leading up to the Feb. 7 game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

Hayes-White said the fire department has contingency plans for access lanes in case emergency vehicles need to move around the blocked-off city streets around Super Bowl City along the Embarcadero.

Several streets were closed around Justin Herman Plaza starting last weekend in preparation for the concerts, events and other pregame hoopla that gets going on Saturday.

Hayes-White said additional paramedics will be staffed to handle any influx of 911 calls throughout the city.

Her department was under scrutiny in 2014 for overall lagging ambulance response times, a situation that Hayes-White has said greatly improved following the hiring of additional staff and better coordination within the department.

"We're very confident we have enough teams and confident we won't be affected in response times for 911 emergencies," she said.

Scores of uniformed police officers are already visible and out in force in downtown San Francisco.

Suhr said those numbers will increase leading up to the Super Bowl. Plainclothes officers on city streets and on public transportation will join uniformed police.

"We've been planning this for three years," Suhr said. "People went to the Super Bowls in New York and Arizona and took back the best practices and then added to them."

On Saturday, the police will activate its Emergency Operations Center and coordinate with city services and state and federal officials until Feb. 8, when all the celebrating winds down.

The most important resource, Suhr said, is the public. Everyday folks with their eyes out for suspicious activity will be the key to foiling a Boston Marathon-type attack in crowded unsecured areas.

"If you see something -- if your Spidey sense starts tingling -- then definitely say something," Suhr said.

Copyright 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle