Public Safety A Top Issue For Atlantic City Airshow [AUDIO]

Close to a million visitors are expected to come to Atlantic City on Friday for the tenth annual Atlantic City Air Show.

With so many people arriving to the city, safety is one of the main concerns on everyone's mind. Joe Kelly, President of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce says they are prepared for the challenge, noting they're used to handling large amounts of people that come for the various events in the city.

Kelly notes local and state police, along with fire crews and EMS all work in coordination for almost a year to make sure the event goes smoothly. Due to safety concerns he couldn't disclose too many details, however he says visitors will notice the increased security.

"What's immediate to the general public is a very strong presence of both our local police and the state police, and fire and EMS; so I think the numbers are the biggest thing that offer comfort."

This happens to be the first year the air show lands on a Friday rather than Sunday, something Kelly notes happened due to the performers schedule. However he is confident the extra crowds won't present any issues.

"We're very confident that based on past performance of all those agencies that we'll present a safe and secure show."

In order to make the event as fun and smooth for visitors, Kelly recommends parking at Bader Field and taking a shuttle over. Likewise when the show ends at 4:30 PM, he suggests staying a little longer, enjoying one of the free concerts, shopping, or other entertainment, in order to avoid the congestion.

The results from each year's show, including the issues and problems, are reviewed extensively after the date of the event. Kelly notes one of the things that keeps things running smooth is the time which they give themselves to plan the next one.

"We'll start planning the next air in September of this year for 2013, so there's been a full year preparation."