Watch the Blues & Play by the Rules

Gas up the car, head out early and pack plenty of water, sunscreen and common sense if you plan to attend the Pensacola Beach Blue Angels Air Show.

That’s the advice of safety officials gearing for the Red, White and Blues week that culminates Saturday with the main event. Years of fine-tuning have gone into the air show that has in years past attracted an estimated 150,000 visitors over a three-day period.

After each air show, safety officials review the event for areas to tweak. Pensacola Beach Public Safety Director Bob West said, however, there are no major changes for this year.

“We’re going to stick to our plan,” West said. “It works just fine.” That plan includes a wave of lifeguards, deputies, ambulances and fire crews. Law enforcement officers from several agencies will patrol the water for operators boating under the influence.

Safety officials could be busy. At the 2004 air show, more than 100 people were treated for heat exhaustion because of sweltering heat. While the show is hugely popular, some residents avoid the beach during Blues week. “It’s too hot and the traffic is bad. That’s the main thing, the traffic,” Pensacola resident John Black, 39, said.

In 2003, several hundred boats anchored at Quietwater Beach were rocked by high waves from Tropical Storm Claudette. Some boats were battered against the boardwalk pier, and others took on water. That same year, a swimmer at Casino Beach dislocated her shoulder when she was hit by strong waves.

“A real significant issue is for people to remember there is no diving or jumping allowed from boats or piers,” West said. “We’ve had a bad cervical (neck) injury every year.” With cars packed in every nook and cranny — don’t block driveways or roads or your car will get towed — even getting around in an ambulance is tough.

J. Earle Bowden Way between Pensacola and Navarre beaches still is closed for repairs, which means the only way on and off the island is over the Bob Sikes Bridge and through Gulf Breeze. Emergency personnel will respond to emergency calls on all-terrain vehicles.

In years past, traffic has backed up along U.S. 98 in south Santa Rosa County and up Garcon Point Road and Interstate 110. “Casino Beach parking lot is usually full by 9:30 a.m.,” Santa Rosa Island Authority General Manager Buck Lee said.

Once Casino Beach is full, traffic will be diverted down Fort Pickens Road. Visitors will be sent toward the east end of the island once Fort Pickens Road is full. “We’ll have trolley cars this year that will run between Casino Beach and Fort Pickens gate,” Lee said. The trolleys will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m., and will pick walkers up between the two locations.

During the air show, visitors will not be allowed in the Gulf of Mexico once the show starts. Maneuvering through the tightly packed crowd is too difficult for lifeguards, West said.

Also, if a swimmer gets too far out in the Gulf of Mexico and into the “box” — an area pilots fly over that is off limits — the show will be shut down. “There are no kites or balloons allowed at all,” West said. “If they get into the box, the pilots can’t fly.”

Published on Monday, July 7, 2008