Education essential piece in curbing illegal firework usage in Contra Costa
Save enjoyment of the rocket’s red glare to watching displays on YouTube or television is the message fire authorities and law enforcement are impressing up on the public this holiday period.
The renewed call to not use fireworks is not sinking in though as increased deafening examples of firework usage only seem to be increasing, leading to more calls to extinguish the aftermath.
“The only safe and sane approach to fireworks in Contra Costa County is to simply not use them,” said Fire Chief Lewis T. Broschard III of the Contra Costa Fire Protection District.
Communities across the District experienced a nearly four-fold increase in grass and vegetation fires in June alone. More than a dozen of these were started by illegal fireworks; many have threatened homes and businesses.
Multiple calls daily
Concord Police Chief Mark Bustillos noted multiple calls come in daily reporting illegal fireworks going off but no arrests have yet been made.
“They light it and scatter,” he said of the typical scenario, which means the perpetrators are long gone when officers arrive to investigate.
The public should give a specific address so patrols can go by and educate occupants and issue citations if necessary.
COVID-19 is an additional factor this year as people have been cooped up for months. Now, “they are pushing the envelope,” he said.
Priority Scale
Complicating efforts is that fireworks represent a low-level misdemeanor, so “it falls low on the priority scale,” Bustillos added.
As part of CON FIRE’s firework safety presentation at its Treat Boulevard training facilities, Contra Costa Fire Marshall Chris Bachman walked the media through a demonstration involving a seemingly innocent bottle rocket that someone shoots off.
He explained that once the firework lands, such as in a home’s gutter, it might smolder for 5-10 minutes before flames appear. It takes his crew 3 to 5 minutes to respond and by that time a structure is fully engulfed in flames.