(PatrioticPost.com)- Last weekend, former President Trump held a rally at the Michigan Stars Sports Center despite concerns from Washington Township fire department officials.
It was reported last week that the township’s fire marshal Rob Schmelzer didn’t want the rally held in the venue chosen because it fell outside the approved use of the Michigan Stars Sports Center space.
Washington Township Fire Chief Brian Tyrell said he was working with rally organizers, the US Secret Service, and the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office in coordinating the safety of the event. He said off-duty officers would also be on hand to provide on-site fire protection and emergency medical services. Tyrell said with little advance notice, his team is doing the best they can to plan.
Chief Tyrell said Fire Marshal Schmelzer established a safe occupant load of 5,760 when Trump held a 2018 rally at the Michigan Stars Sports Center. That was above the normal occupancy limit based on the township’s fire code.
Schmelzer said last week that he wasn’t sure what the occupant load for Saturday’s rally should be because he hadn’t seen the floorplan yet. According to Washington Township Treasurer Mike Nicley, the Secret Service had told him as many as 10,000 people were expected to show up for Saturday’s rally. But without knowing for sure, Schmelzer said he couldn’t determine if the event will be safe.
Saturday’s rally was Trump’s first visit to Michigan since the 2020 campaign when he appeared in Grand Rapids on the night before the election. The rally was held ostensibly to campaign on behalf of two Michigan Republicans running in November – Michigan AG candidate Matt DePerno and Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo.
Matt DePerno suggested the concern about the venue was a “false narrative” being contrived by Democrats to get the “fake news” to report on it.
Ultimately, the crowd size was capped at 5,500 people. According to reports on Monday, the crowd size within the venue was between 4,000 and 5,000 people, with another few thousand watching the rally on large screens outside.
