White Star Chemical will host a public appreciation gathering for local emergency services at Forsyth Park, featuring fire apparatus on the lawn, brief remarks of thanks, and a picnic meal for residents and first-responder families.

The event will be open to the public. Organizers are inviting Savannah Fire Rescue, Chatham County EMS, HAZMAT personnel, Chatham Emergency Management Agency staff, and neighboring volunteer departments that could respond to a city or industrial incident. Employees’ families and nearby residents are welcome. Children will be able to see engines and an ambulance up close under department supervision.

The gathering is intended to feel like a park afternoon rather than a formal ceremony. Shade tents and seating will be set up on the grass. Firefighters and medics who can come off shift will be available to speak with visitors. There will be no staged disaster drills or mock HAZMAT demonstrations.

Food will be served picnic-style: pulled pork and smoked chicken, rolls, baked beans, coleslaw, fruit, and cookies. Sweet tea, lemonade, water, and coffee will be available throughout the afternoon. First-responder families will be served first, with remaining food offered to the public while supplies last.

Remarks will be brief and delivered from a small platform near the apparatus. Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson II has been invited to open the program. The chief of Savannah Fire Rescue is expected to speak for the departments, and the director of Chatham Emergency Management Agency has been asked to recognize dispatch and emergency-management staff. Samuel Mallory, owner of White Star Chemical, will thank the crews on behalf of the company before returning the afternoon to the park.

White Star is also planning a closed briefing at its Savannah plant for emergency personnel in connection with the park event. The session will cover site access and emergency systems and will not be open to the public.

The Forsyth Park gathering will be postponed if weather or an active call requires participating departments to stand down.