SCOTTSDALE — With the WM Phoenix Open kicking off fan festivities with the concert in the coliseum Saturday night, officers and firefighters beyond the big stage are ready to keep thousands of attendees safe.
It's estimated that over 700,000 fans will be in attendance during the week, so it’s no surprise that Scottsdale Fire and Police treat the event like a “city within a city.”
“We’re on 220 acres of golf course right so we have to handle the incident within the incident,” Scottsdale Fire Captain Dave Folio said. “We can’t rely on outside resources coming in.”
With rain on the forecast mid-week, Folio said he’s been in touch with grounds crews to have plans in place for slick conditions.
“The course is designed to take water, some of the tents they’re going to be prepared by covering up the furniture or doing that type of stuff, not allowing people on the slippery surfaces and some of the exits,” Folio said.
Sergeant Allison Sempsis with the Scottsdale Police Department said agencies from across the Valley step in to help their teams at the Open, as calls continue outside the tournament tents.
“The city keeps going it’s not just this event right now,” Sempsis said.
Sempsis said while officers are always on the lookout, a robust DUI task force will be starting Wednesday.
“We want to be here in full force, all hands on deck,” Sempsis said. “But we want everybody to enjoy it.”
Scottsdale PD offers attendees to text WMPO24 to 67283 to get alerts from police during the open in case of an emergency.
