The globe may be warming, but Pasadena will be very, very cold indeed tonight along the Rose Parade route with the National Weather Service predicting temperatures that shatter the record cold of 32 degrees set in 1952.
“Dress warmly in layers,†urged Pasadena Fire Chief Bertral Washington at a Tuesday press briefing on parade safety. “Hats & gloves will be very important, especially to those staying overnight.â€
There will not be “warming stations,†Washington said, so although the Pasadena Fire Department will patrol the route and keep an eye out for parade goers suffering from hypothermia parade goers need to plan ahead and take precautions.
“Our resources are going to be stretched very thin and we want you to do all that you can to make sure that you’re safe and that we utilize our resources where they are needed most,†he said.
In spite of the cold, most types of fires are not allowed.
Bonfires can easily spread to structures and sleeping bags and other flammables, officials pointed out.
Washington said that Fire Dept. have frequently seen metal machine drums filled with firewood being burned during past New Year Eve’s along Colorado Boulevard, and he stressed that those are not safe and illegal.
“Machine drums filled with firewood can produce embers which can ignite buildings and even clothing. Bonfires in large containers.. are illegal burns,†he said.
What can parade goers bring? Small barbeques (but you must bring your own fire extinguisher and the barbeque must not be closer than 25 feet from any building). That is the only legal cooking or heating device that uses open flame or charcoal.
“Safety is our top priority,†Washington said.