Greenville heats up for ECU football: Hydration will be key for fans at Saturday's game, official says

High temperatures will require hydration for over 30,000 fans expected to flock to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday for East Carolina University football's 6 p.m. season opener against Norfolk State University.

The National Weather Service in Newport forecasts Saturday's high at 92 degrees with the heat index to top out at 101 degrees at 4 p.m. The index is forecast to reach 96 degrees come game time.

Since tailgate lots open at noon, ECU Deputy Police Chief Chris Sutton said that it will be imperative fans drink plenty of hydrating fluids ahead of time, not just on Saturday morning, and make smart choices to prevent heat related illness.

"If you've been enjoying and you become intoxicated, you're not taking care of your body and putting in as much water as you're putting in alcohol, there's a chance you may not make it to the end of the game," Sutton said. "You may not even make it out of the stadium without having some help that will get you out."

Sutton warned that temperatures inside Dowdy-Ficklen will likely be even hotter than the ones outside.

"We are a little worried about heat-related illnesses for our fans that come in," he said.

Those concerns have prompted the department and partner agencies to enact their heat management plan, which comes with additional cooling stations and water stations around the stadium. There also will be additional emergency medical personnel on scene from Greenville Fire-Rescue, Sutton said.

Authorities also are prepared for the influx of fans traveling to the game. Coleman Spain, ECU's executive director of ticket operations, said that a crowd in the low to mid-30,000's is expected to attend.

Elm Street, Greenville Boulevard, Charles Boulevard, 14th Street and 10th Street around the stadium will see the heaviest congestion as tailgate traffic primarily settles in from noon to when gates open at 4 p.m., Sutton said. Motorists in those areas should remain attentive and avoid distractions to protect themselves and pedestrians, he cautioned.

At 2 p.m. 14th Street will close from Elm to Charles and reopen an hour to an hour and a half after the game concludes in order to clear pedestrian traffic and grant shuttles on ADA routes time to get spectators where they need to be.

Sutton suggested anyone without business at the game or in the general area to detour a few streets over. Though that will add mileage, he said it will ultimately save time stuck in traffic and reduce congestion.

Just as the Pirates have spent their offseason preparing to play ball, Sutton said law enforcement staff take that time to develop public safety plans.

"When that last game ends in November we start looking at the first game that starts in August or September," Sutton said. "We're looking at hot spots from the previous year, areas of concern, if we need to shift staffing from one area where maybe we've not had as many problems to other areas, so that when we have our new season start we feel like we've got the best plan of action that we're using."

ECU Police will be assisted at Saturday's opener by municipal police departments from Greenville, Winterville and Ayden as well as the Pitt County Sheriff's Office, State Highway Patrol, ECU Health Police Department and Pitt Community College Police Department.