* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:18] RIGHT. WELL, WELCOME TO CITY HALL. I'M SUSAN CHRISTIAN, AND WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE EVENTS, UH, EVERY YEAR. AND SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, AS OUR HEADLINER SAYS, IT'S A GOOD DAY TO HAVE A GREAT DAY, AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE EVENT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, HAS FIVE ENTERTAINMENT ZONES. IT'S JUST A REMARKABLE, FUN FAMILY TRADITION THAT WE PRODUCE HERE. BUT EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT IS OUR FOCUS ON SAFETY. AND SO TO KICK US OFF, PLEASE WELCOME OUR BOSS, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER. THANK YOU, SUSAN. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE BOSS PART, BUT, UH, I'M PROUD TO BE THE MAYOR OF THIS GREAT CITY. AND TOMORROW WILL ILLUSTRATE ANOTHER REALTIME EXAMPLE OF HOW EXCITING IT IS TO BE A HOUSTONIAN, WHERE WE COME TOGETHER FOR SOME GREAT ENTERTAINMENT, HOSPITALITY. BUT THE REASON WE'RE TALKING PUBLICLY THIS MORNING IS TO EMPHASIZE THE SAFETY FACTOR. THERE WILL BE THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS. AS A HOUSTONIAN, I'VE WATCHED THE, UH, FIREWORKS FROM NEARLY EVERY ANGLE THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE IN THE BACK OF A PICKUP OFF OF MEMORIAL DRIVE TO HANGING OFF A BRIDGE ON MEMORIAL DRIVE TO TENTS, TO OFFICE BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN, LOOKING OUT FROM OUR TOWERS. SO ALL I CAN SAY IS, LET'S HAVE FUN. UH, WE WILL COME TOGETHER AS HOUSTONIANS. WE HAVE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, OUR CHIEFS, OUR SAFETY, UH, EMERGENCY CENTER DIRECTOR, TOM MUNOZ. I COULD GO ON AND ON. THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN DRILLING FOR THIS HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. SO I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THE SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, SUSAN'S LEADERSHIP, THAT IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. WE THANK OUR SPONSORS. CERTAINLY SHELL, UH, SILVER EAGLE, DR. PEPPER WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS WITHOUT THEIR CORPORATE GOODWILL. SO, UH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. LIKE I SAID, I'VE WATCHED IT FROM ABOUT EVERY ANGLE AND OPPORTUNITY, BUT TOMORROW WILL BE A FIRST FOR ME TO WELCOME HOUSTONIANS AS THE MAYOR AND SAY, BE SAFE. STAY HYDRATED. DON'T DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL. BE PATIENT. UH, I'LL REMIND MYSELF OF THAT, BUT IT'S SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, ENJOY WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND FELLOW HOUSTON. SO, UH, THANK YOU SUSAN, FOR ALLOWING US. AND I WILL YIELD TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS WHO HAVE FIRSTHAND INFORMATION. I WAS TOLD BY THE EMERGENCY CENTER THAT PROJECTIONS ARE 110 TO 113 DEGREE WEATHER DUE TO THE CONCENTRATION AND DENSITY OF, OF INDIVIDUALS AND OUR PAVEMENT, OUR TALL BUILDINGS. SO BE, BE, UH, HYDRATED, BE, UH, DRESSED APPROPRIATELY AND HAVE FUN AND THINK, THINK BEFORE YOU ACT. SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. WE APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE ARE IMPLEMENTING OUR SAFETY PLAN. RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE HAD CREWS FOR, UH, SINCE LAST, UH, WEDNESDAY ON THE SITE. WE ENSURE THAT THEY'RE HYDRATED. AS THE MAYOR SAID, WE SPLIT SCHEDULES, UH, AND PART PART OF THIS AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS, COOLING AREAS FOR THEM TO GET TO. THEY'RE IMPLEMENTED NOW AND WE HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. WE EXPECT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE SUCCESSFUL. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY LOVE ABOUT THIS TEAM BEHIND ME IS THEY KNOW EVERY ASPECT OF THIS EVENT. WE'VE BEEN DOING THE SHOW FOR YEARS TOGETHER. AND, UM, AND IT IS THEIR LEADERSHIP AND THEIR FOCUS ON PRODUCTION. AND THE PATRONS THAT ATTEND THAT HELP US WITH A GREAT SAFETY PLAN. PLEASE WELCOME MY COLLEAGUE, UH, ACTING CHIEF, LARRY SATTERWHITE. HEY, DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN, SUSAN. ALRIGHT, SO WE'LL START WITH WISHING EVERYBODY A VERY HAPPY FOURTH. UM, THIS IS A GREAT DAY THAT WE CELEBRATE EVERY YEAR. IT'S A CHANCE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO COME TOGETHER, UH, TO EAT GOOD FOOD AND TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER. ENJOY THE SUMMER. WE'RE IN THE HEIGHT OF IT, AND IT'S AN AWESOME TIME. WE WANT YOU TO THINK SAFETY. WE DO NOT WANT ANY TRAGEDIES, UH, TO BEFALL ANYBODY TOMORROW OR THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SO OBVIOUSLY WE COUNT ON YOU TO THINK SAFETY. UM, I KNOW THAT THE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS IS THE, THE, THE FOCUS OF THIS NEWS CONFERENCE. BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE FOUR LARGE EVENTS HAPPENING [00:05:01] TOMORROW. FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, WITHOUT A DOUBT. THE OVERSHADOWING LARGEST EVENT WHERE WE'LL HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COMING OUT TO ENJOY. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE ALSO HAVE AN EVENT IN KINGWOOD, A PARADE IN THE MORNING, AND WE HAVE, UM, THE STAR SPANGLED EVENT AT MILLED OUTDOOR THEATER TOMORROW EVENING FOR THOSE THAT WILL BE ENJOYING THAT. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE A INTERNATIONAL SOCCER GAME BETWEEN ARGENTINA AND ECUADOR AND NRG STADIUM, AND EVERYBODY WILL BE GOING OUT TO ENJOY ALL THESE EVENTS AND OTHERS. SO AGAIN, I WANT YOU TO THINK SAFETY. WE WILL HAVE HUNDREDS OF OFFICERS DEPLOYED, UH, AT FREEDOM OVER TEXAS ALONE, WILL HAVE HUNDREDS OF OFFICERS DEPLOYED, BOTH PLAIN CLOTHES AND UNIFORM OUT THERE WATCHING, TRYING TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE, UH, DOING EVERYTHING. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE HAVE NO, UM, NO THREATS THAT ARE, WE ARE AWARE OF FOR TOMORROW'S EVENT, UH, AT ILLINOIS TENBURY PARK, FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, OR ANY OF THE OTHER EVENTS OR ANYWHERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS, RIGHT? UH, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS AN ABSOLUTE BECAUSE SOMEBODY COULD BE DOING SOMETHING. SOMETIMES WE HAVE BAD ACTORS OUT THERE THAT WE DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT YET BECAUSE THEY'RE ACTING ALONE. SO WE CAN'T SEE EVERYTHING. WE CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE, EVEN WITH THE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF OFFICERS THAT WE WILL HAVE DEPLOYED AND, AND OF COURSE MY COLLEAGUES BEHIND ME AND FIRE AND, AND, UH, AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN THIS. UH, EVEN ALSO, I WILL TELL YOU, FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, WE HAVE MULTIPLE AGENCIES THAT BE OUT THERE. WE STILL CANNOT BE EVERYWHERE, SO WE COUNT ON YOU. THE PUBLIC IS OUR PARTNER IN KEEPING EVERYBODY SAFE. SO THAT'S WHAT I ASK YOU TO DO, TO, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, DON'T JUST LET IT GO. DON'T JUST WRITE IT OFF. DON'T JUST THINK, OH, THAT'S PROBABLY NOTHING. NO. LET US KNOW. GIVE US A CHANCE. IT PROBABLY IS NOTHING, OKAY. PROBABLY IS, BUT WE WANT TO KNOW THAT. WE WANNA RUN THAT DOWN AND MAKE SURE SO THAT NOTHING FALLS, GETS THROUGH THE CRACKS AND ANYBODY GETS HURT. WE WANT TO GET THROUGH. WE WANT TOMORROW TO BE ALL ABOUT CELEBRATION, ALL ABOUT GOOD TIMES, AND, UH, AND NOTHING ELSE, UH, BEFALL ANYBODY. SOME OTHER THINGS THE PUBLIC CAN DO FOR US TOMORROW. UM, AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WE ACTUALLY HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY ON UWI, DRUNK DRIVING, IMPAIRED DRIVING AND IMPAIRED VOTING, UH, BECAUSE I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF COLLEAGUES THAT WERE WITH ME YESTERDAY THAT WE DID A PRESS CONFERENCE. AND WE WILL BE OUT ON THE ROADWAYS TOMORROW, UH, TO TRY TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE. BUT AGAIN, THE PUBLIC IS OUR PARTNER IN THIS. MAKE GOOD DECISIONS. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE. DO NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE THAT CAN TAKE YOUR LIFE OR SOMEONE ELSE'S AND HAVE THAT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. WE HAVE TOO MANY WHO HAVE ALL READY NEEDLESSLY LOST THEIR LIVES OR BEEN HURT ON OUR ROADWAYS. PLEASE HELP US WITH THAT AND BE, AND BE, UM, RESPONSIBLE. I'D ALSO SAY WE ARE MAKING A LOT OF CALLS, UH, TO, UH, POTENTIAL AND ACTUAL DROWNINGS. WATCH YOUR FAMILY. WATCH YOUR KIDS. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU'RE AROUND BODIES OF WATER, BECAUSE THESE VERY QUICKLY, THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LOSE SIGHT ON THEM. AND THEN WE'RE IN A, WE'RE IN A DIRE SITUATION. WE DON'T WANT THAT. SO WE DON'T WANT THAT. WE WANT EVERYBODY TO BE SAFE AND ENJOY. SO PLEASE, THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN HELP US WITH. UM, HYDRATION. LIKE, UH, LIKE THE MAYOR, LIKE THE, UH, DIRECTOR CHRISTIANS SAID, HYDRATE, AND I'M SURE MY COLLEAGUES, CHIEF PENA AND CHIEF MUNOZ BEHIND ME WILL SAY THE SAME THING. DRINK A LOT OF FLUID, START DRINKING TODAY. UH, YOU PREPARE FOR THAT KIND OF HEAT TOMORROW BY DRINKING AND HYDRATING STARTING TODAY, AND THAT IT PREPARES YOUR BODY. SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA YIELD, UH, TO MY COLLEAGUES, EVERYONE HAVE A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY, UH, 4TH OF JULY AND A FANTASTIC SUMMER. THANK YOU. YOU WANNA MENTION THE BULLETS THAT GO UP? OH, YES, SIR. LABORATORY? WELL, YES, SIR. I WILL SAY THANK YOU, MAYOR. THERE IS NOTHING, NO SUCH THING AS CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE. OKAY? WHATEVER. WHEN YOU FIRE INTO THE AIR, THOSE ROUNDS ARE COMING DOWN, OKAY? UH, IT'S INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRY TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY BY FIRING YOUR FIREARM INTO THE AIR OR ANYWHERE ELSE. WE WILL BE OUT THERE. WE WILL BE AT WORK. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. WE WILL FILE, UH, CHARGES ON YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND SO, BUT THE MOST TRAGIC THING IS PEOPLE CAN GET REALLY HURT, UH, INNOCENT PEOPLE. THOSE ROUNDS ARE COMING BACK DOWN. WHATEVER YOU'VE, WHATEVER YOU FIRE, IT'S GOING SOMEWHERE. SO PLEASE DON'T BE THE PERSON TO DO THAT EITHER. UH, AND WE WILL BE OUT IN FORCE LOOKING FOR THAT TOO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, LARRY. UM, NEXT UP IS, UH, OUR FIRE CHIEF SAM PENA TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THE OTHER VERY IMPORTANT, UH, UH, SUBJECT, WHICH IS FIRE, SAFETY AND HEALTH. THANK YOU, SUSAN. AND, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR BRINGING US ALL TOGETHER, AND GOOD TO SEE YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. UM, IN THE 4TH OF JULY IS, IS IS REALLY A TIME TO CELEBRATE AND ACKNOWLEDGE OUR, THE INDEPENDENCE OF OUR COUNTRY, RIGHT? BUT, [00:10:01] UH, WE WANNA ENCOURAGE EVERYONE AS THIS IS GONNA BE THE OVERARCHING MESSAGE TO DO IT SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE USE OF FIREWORKS, UH, POOL SAFETY, UM, GRILLING AND CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE. AND, UH, MY, MY PARTNER, LARRY, UH, MENTIONED IT. THE MAYOR MENTIONED IT. IT'S AN ISSUE THAT WE SEE EACH AND EVERY YEAR. EVERY YEAR SOMEBODY GETS INJURED, WHETHER IT'S HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON OR, UH, OTHER AREAS AS A RESULT OF CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE. VERY DANGEROUS. IT'S ILLEGAL. YOU CAN CAUSE DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURIES. SO PLEASE BE AWARE OF THAT. IN TERMS OF FIREWORKS, WE GET, UH, EVERY YEAR WE GET THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ENDING UP AT THE, AT THE ER AS A RESULT OF INJURIES, UH, FROM IMPROPER USE OF FIREWORKS, BUT FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, THE SHELL FREEDOM OVER TEXAS IS A GREAT EVENT. IT'S A PROFESSIONALLY RUN EVENT. WE ENCOURAGE OUR COMMUNITY TO SEEK OUT THOSE PROFESSIONAL EVENTS AND STAY AWAY FROM THE USE OF FIREWORKS. A REMINDER THAT IT IS, IT IS ILLEGAL TO SET OFF FIREWORKS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS. THE FINE CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM 500 TO 2000 IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE C**K, IF IT'S A MINOR, THE PARENTS WILL BE HELD, UH, RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE. UH, WE WANNA ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, IF YOU HEAR THIS OR YOU SEE, UH, PEOPLE, UH, USING FIREWORKS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS, USE THE NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER. IT'S, UH, 7 1 3 8 8 4 3 1 3 1 TO REPORT THAT. OF COURSE, IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY, IF IT'S AN INJURY, PLEASE CALL 9 1 1. UM, IN TERMS OF WATER SAFETY, IF WE'RE GONNA BE ON THE POOLS, PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS WITH YOUR CHILDREN. WE'VE HAD TENS OF, UH, OF NEAR DROWNINGS ALREADY REPORTED IN, UH, THIS YEAR. AND SO IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH. IT'S NOT LIKE IN THE MOVIES, YOU DON'T SEE, SEE THE SPLASHING AROUND. IT'S SILENT AND IT HAPPENS QUICKLY. PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS. WE MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED. ALSO, IF YOU'RE GONNA BE AT THE POOLS, HAVE A DESIGNATED PERSON THAT IS MONITORING WHOMEVER'S IN THE POOL, ESPECIALLY YOUNG CHILDREN, BECAUSE IT DOES NOT TAKE LONG FOR A TRAGEDY TO OCCUR. UM, CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE. WE, WE TALKED ABOUT GRILLS. IF YOU'RE GONNA BE GRILLING THIS WEEKEND, PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS OF HOW YOU DISPOSE OF THOSE. UH, CHARCOAL, UH, USE THOSE GRILLS AT LEAST 20 FEET FROM ANY STRUCTURE. UH, TAKE THOSE, THAT CHARCOAL, THAT USE CHARCOAL, PUT IT IN A NON-COMBUSTIBLE CONTAINER, PUT SOME WATER IN IT BEFORE YOU DISPOSE OF IT IN THE TRASH CANS. EVERY YEAR WE GET DUMPSTER FIRES OR WE GET TRASH CAN FIRES AS A RESULT OF IMPROPERLY DISPOSING OF, OF OUR, UH, OF OUR GRILLS. UM, PETS, MAKE SURE YOU, UH, REMEMBER YOUR PETS, ESPECIALLY THIS 4TH OF JULY. OKAY? THAT IS, UH, SOMETHING WE DON'T THINK ABOUT. AND HERE'S ONE THING THAT I WANNA STRESS, AND I LEFT THIS TO THE END BECAUSE I, I WANNA MAKE A POINT OF THIS. THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA IS HOME TO MORE THAN 300,000 VETERANS. SOME OF THEM MAY BE DEALING WITH PTSD. THE SMELL, THE SOUNDS OF FIREWORKS ARE, CAN BE SOMETHING THAT TRIGGERS, UH, MEMORIES AND, AND CAUSES ANXIETY IN, IN CERTAIN PEOPLE. PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE. PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS OF HOW YOU USE IT. UM, AGAIN, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ATTEND THESE PROFESSIONAL, UH, PRODUCTION SHOWS BECAUSE ONE, IT ENSURES YOUR SAFETY. SUSAN, THE MAYOR, EVERYBODY BACK HERE IS PREPARED TO ENSURE THAT YOU ENJOY THE DAY AND DO IT IN A SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE WAY. SO LOOK, WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY OUT THERE. AND, UM, OH, ONE MORE THING, MAYOR. WE HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITY, UH, IN THE, IN THE GULF, RIGHT? PLEASE BE WEATHER AWARE, MONITOR YOUR, YOUR, UH, NEWS SITES. STAY, UH, CONNECTED WITH ALERT HOUSTON. PLEASE, UH, HAVE A PLAN READY TO GO IN CASE, UH, SOMETHING VISITS US HERE IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO. SO, AGAIN, HAPPY AND FORTH OF JULY. WE WANT, UH, TO ENSURE THAT EVERYBODY DOES SO SAFELY. AND I WANNA THANK THE MAYOR AND THE TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING UP HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SAM. AND, UH, ALSO EQUALLY IMPORTANT IS OUR OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. UH, THEY ARE OUR EYES AND EARS FOR THINGS THAT WE MIGHT NOT SEE, UH, OUTSIDE OF OUR EVENT SITE, AND THEY'RE VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR SAFETY TEAM. SO PLEASE WELCOME MY COLLEAGUE, INTERIM DIRECTOR, UH, THOMAS MUNOZ. THANK YOU, SUSAN, FOR ALL THE GREAT WORK. MARY, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AND ALL THE COLLEAGUES BEHIND ME. UM, THIS IS AN EVENT THAT WE HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR A LONG TIME. LIKE EVERY OTHER SPECIAL EVENT IN THE CITY, WE TAKE ALL THE, UH, THE APPROACH OF PREPARING FOR SAFETY AND FOR PEOPLE'S WELLBEING TO ENSURE A SAFE EVENT. THAT'S THE ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE FOCUS ON, IS WHAT DO WE DO. WITH THAT SAID, WE ARE GONNA BE ACTIVATING OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER AT A LEVEL THREE, WHICH IS INCREASED READINESS, RIGHT? WHAT THAT MEANS THAT ALL THE COLLEAGUES AND THEIR TEAMS, [00:15:01] UH, FIRE PD, PUBLIC WORKS, UH, MAYOR'S OFFICE, SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, MAYOR'S, OFFICE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, WE'RE GONNA BE AMONGST OTHERS ARE GONNA BE COORDINATING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE IN THE EVENT SOMETHING SHOULD HAPPEN. WE DO HAVE THE RESOURCES, BUT WE'LL BE MONITORING CAREFULLY AND BE READY TO REACT IF SOMETHING SHOULD OCCUR. BUT AT THE SAME TOKEN, MONITORING, ENSURING THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE TO TAKE THAT MITIGATION APPROACH, EFFORT THAT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR ALL YEAR LONG. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT EVERY SQUARE INCH HAS BEEN COVERED. WE'RE WORKING WITH SUSAN'S TEAM CONTINUOUSLY TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE, AS SOME COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN MENTIONING, WHETHER IT IS GONNA BE HOT AND WANNA EMPHASIZE HYDRATE, DRINK WATER. THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA EMPHASIZE. MAKE SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AS FAR AS WHEN IT COMES TO WEATHER, WEARING LIGHT CLOTHES. PLEASE MONITOR THAT. UH, CHIEF PENA AND HIS TEAM, ALONG WITH CHIEF DER WHITENER TEAMS ARE GONNA HAVE THOSE MEDICAL RESOURCES THERE AND EVENTS AND SHOULD OCCUR. BUT I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH THE SAFETY, UH, AND YOUR SURROUNDINGS, MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THE HEAT THAT'S GONNA BE TAKING PLACE. IT'S GONNA BE A FUN EVENT. WE PLANNED FOR THAT. BUT JUST MAKE SURE THE WEATHER HYDRATE. THEY ALSO MENTIONED THE STORM. WE'RE MONITORING THAT TOO RIGHT NOW. IT'S LOOKING GOOD, GETTING AWAY FROM US. SO THAT IS WHERE WE'RE MONITORING AS WELL. SO OUR TEAM IS READY. WE HAVE BEEN PREPARING, AND ONCE AGAIN, WE WANT HOUSTONIANS TO KNOW, TO FEEL SAFE, TO ENJOY WHAT'S BEING PLANNED AND TO ENSURE THEM THAT WE ARE MONITORING, ENSURING OUR SAFETY AND WELLBEING. THANK YOU, SUSAN. APPRECIATE IT. YES, SIR. YOU KNOW, SO, SO I THINK, I THINK YOU GOT THE MESSAGE RIGHT. WE'RE PREPARED, BUT WE ALSO WANT THE PATRONS OF THIS EVENT TO BE PREPARED. YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR MENTIONED WEAR LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING, SENSIBLE SHOES, DON'T COME OUT THERE IN HILLS. LADIES, IT'S A CRAZY THING IN A PARK AND A AND ALL AND A PARK, ALLEN PARKWAY. BUT BE SURE THAT YOU, UH, ALSO WEAR HATS, WEAR SUNGLASSES, BRING YOUR SUNSCREEN AND APPLY IT OFTEN. BRING YOUR MOSQUITO SPRAY. WE SPRAY OUT THERE A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE THE EVENT, BUT IT'S ALWAYS SMART. AS THE SUN GOES DOWN, MOSQUITOES ARE GONNA COME OUT. WE'VE ALSO PUT MORE SHADE OUT ON THE SITE IN THOSE AREA, IN AREAS THAT WE CAN MISTING TENTS ALL THROUGHOUT THIS MILE AND A HALF OF, UH, OF FIVE ENTERTAINMENT ZONES. SO JUST BE SMART. WE KNOW HOUSTONIANS ARE, WE KNOW HOUSTONIANS LOVE TO CELEBRATE, ESPECIALLY THE FREEDOMS THAT WE ENJOY AS AMERICANS ON JULY 4TH. SO PLEASE BE PREPARED, HYDRATE. A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE ALSO WANT TO REMIND YOU IS WHAT NOT TO BRING AND WHAT TO BRING. I'VE MENTIONED SEVERAL THINGS TO BRING, UH, BUT WHAT NOT TO DRINK, NOT TO BRING. DO NOT BRING LASERS. DO NOT BRING FIREWORKS. DO NOT BRING GUNS. UH, DO NOT BRING COOLERS UNLESS YOU NEED SOMETHING FOR CHILDREN. UH, YOU KNOW, AND OTHER SPECIAL NEED THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. WE WANT YOU TO BRING AN EMPTY WATER BOTTLE. BRING AN EMPTY WATER BOTTLE BECAUSE ALL THROUGHOUT THE SITE WE HAVE WATER FOR YOU FOR FREE, THAT YOU JUST GO UP AND FILL YOUR WATER BOTTLE. OKAY? NOW BE SURE YOU BRING IT EMPTY. ALL RIGHT, , WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE YOU POUR THAT OUT AT THE GATE. AND WE HAVE PLENTY OF FOOD, LOTS OF DIVERSE FOOD ON SITE, AS WELL AS BEVERAGES OF YOUR CHOICE THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE. SO PLEASE, LET'S HAVE A GREAT, SAFE, FUN HISTORY MAKING TRADITION, MAKING JULY 4TH AT SHELL FREEDOM OVER SEXES. ANY QUESTIONS? YES, SIR. SO, I MEAN, IN A COUPLE OF PLACES, RIGHT? IN CITY, THERE'S A SMALLER AREA, SO IF IT PICKS IT UP THERE, THEN WE'LL RESPOND. UH, BUT THE SAD THING IS, IS THAT WE HAVE CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE THAT ACT IS OCCURRING ALL OVER THE CITY. SO, UM, MORE LIKELY THAN NOT, IT'LL BE, IF PEOPLE ENGAGE IN THAT, IT'LL BE SOMEBODY ELSE CALLING AND SAYING THEY'RE, WE'RE HEAR THEY'RE HEARING SHOTS AROUND THEM IN THEIR CLOSE PROXIMITY, AND WE'LL DO RESPOND. YES, THANK YOU, MARY. WHEN THOSE, WE NOTICE IN CARPENTER CHRISTIAN, [00:20:02] FREEDOM OVER TEXAS. FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, TEXAS, LAS THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I ALSO WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE, DO NOT BRING YOUR PETS. THIS IS A SIX HOUR EVENT THAT WE, UH, WE PLAN FOR THE HUMANS IN THE FAMILY AND NOT THE FURRY FRIENDS IN THE FAMILY. PLEASE DON'T, PLEASE DON'T BRING YOUR PETS. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU, I DO THINK THAT, I LIKE YOUR IDEA, ANNA, WHEN YOU, I KNOW YOU CALLED IT THIS BECAUSE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, BUT I THINK IT'S A SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR NEXT YEAR. SOMBRERO. THANKS, SOMBRERO. . YES, SIR. COME ON UP. JUST ONE QUICK REMINDER. UM, AS, AS THE POLICE CHIEF MENTIONED, THERE'S GONNA BE VARIOUS, VARIOUS EVENTS, LARGE EVENTS, HAVE A REUNIFICATION PLAN WITH YOUR FAMILY. UH, WHEN YOU ATTEND THESE EVENTS, GET A PLAN, KNOW WHERE TO MEET IN CASE YOU GET SEPARATED. AND, UH, AGAIN, WE WANNA STRESS THE FACT THAT YOU NEED TO BE HYDRATED, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, AND HAVE THAT PLAN. LET'S DO SO SAFELY. THANK YOU. YES. SO THE QUESTION WAS, IF WE HAVE BEEN TAKING PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES, WE HAVE BEEN MONITORING THE WEATHER ALL WEEK. ANYTIME WE START SEEING SOMETHING FORMING THAT MIGHT IMPACT THIS, WE ARE MONITORING THAT. AS I SAID THIS EARLIER IN MY STATEMENT, YOU KNOW, IT'S LOOKING LIKE IT'S GOING TO THE SOUTH. HOWEVER, WE'RE ALWAYS KEEPING A CAUTION EYE ON THAT. WE ACTUALLY GOT OFF THE CALL WITH THE NATIONAL WEATHER THIS MORNING TO ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING, THE ANSWER IS YES. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.