Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase safety and security

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - First responders are prepping to prevent major issues during the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase, including the Tucson Fire Department.

Thousands of people will be here for the two-week-long event.

Fire inspector Brian Cobb has been showing up to vendors' tents unannounced for the past two weeks and will continue to do so throughout the gem show.

He is checking and rechecking the 150 plus portable tents that have been popping up around town. His team of inspectors will look for a variety of code violations including expired fire extinguishers, tripping hazards, and wrong exit sign placements.

"If the tent blows away or falls down people could get injured or if there's a fire or some other emergency and people can't get out, that's a problem," said Cobb. "Fire access is a very big issue. If someone has a heart attack, we need to be able to get ambulances and fire trucks in to assist."

Vendors are required to fix the problems while the inspector is there.

Visitors most likely will not see firefighters during the gem show, but they will notice police officers. An estimated 100 TPD officers will be patrolling the areas around the gem show 24/7 to assist with traffic and prevent crime.

For more on the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase click here. 

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