City Officials Using Made In America As Dress Rehearsal For Papal Visit
By Kristen Johanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - We are now just weeks away from the Pope's visit to Philadelphia, and this weekend's 4th annual Made In America concert on the Ben Franklin Parkway will be a bit of a test run for city responders.
More than 50,000 people will pack the Parkway each day Saturday and Sunday for the annual music festival. Mayor Nutter's Press Secretary Mark McDonald says they will use a grid system to help first responders get to people who may need help faster:
"The Papal visit is a much, much larger undertaking."
He says events like this helps them work out the kinks:
"The police department and EMS and fire department and other inspectors and all the other related staffs know how to work together, know how to plan, and I think that has served us in good stead as we've put together plans in regards to the Papal visit."
McDonald says after major events like the 4th of July celebration or Made In America, city agencies meet to discuss any problems and work on procedures to prepare for the next big event -- which will be the Papal visit:
"What we've learned over four years is quite a bit related to crowd control, the estimating of resources needed to maintain control and safety."
He says these events have helped officials streamline communication, and prepare for the end of September.
