Newport’s fireworks safety specialists get the Fourth ready to fly

The Fourth of July is no holiday for Steve Michael, a life safety specialist for the Newport Beach Fire Department.

This year, his 13-hour workday will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort for the first of three fireworks safety inspections he’ll do there. His job is to verify that the products and paperwork are in order before allowing pyrotechnic crews to unload the explosives.

His next stop will be the Port of Long Beach, where he’ll conduct a similar inspection, this time on a barge. The port is the designated area for inspections of the 10 to 15 fireworks barges that will be placed along the coast between Malibu and Dana Point.

Since one particular barge is filled with explosives with a Newport Beach destination, it falls under Michael’s jurisdiction. The barge’s fireworks are for a show provided by real estate developer Rick Caruso over the ocean near the Wedge.

Michael’s barge inspection is intended to confirm there is a protection shelter on the barge, that the shell racks are set correctly and that there are enough flotation devices for the pyrotechnic crew onboard.

Michael, a Costa Mesa resident, has worked for Newport Beach almost 31 years and has been in the Fire Department’s fire prevention division since 2007, when he started working fireworks shows.

“When I started, we only had two fireworks shows per year — one at the Dunes and one at Big Canyon Country Club. Over the years, it has grown to five aerial shows per year. With the Wedge, there are three on July 4, along with opening night of the [Christmas] boat parade off the Newport Pier and the boat parade closing night at the Balboa Pier,” Michael said.

The size of a fireworks show is determined by the size and quantity of the shells. Caruso’s show has 1,000 10-inch shells; Newport Dunes has 5-inch shells and Big Canyon 4-inch, with about 650 each.

Raymi Wun, who is in his fifth year as a Newport Beach life safety specialist, will be supervising the Big Canyon show. He said he loves fireworks duty but admitted to some anxiety even after following all the safety rules.

“With 1,150 people in attendance, safety for the public is key,” Wun said. “It’s so close and so loud, which is why the fallout zones of 75-foot distance per inch of shell are crucial.”

Michael agreed, saying, “It is a little nerve-wracking during the shoot because we’re constantly aware of the safety aspects in ensuring that the public and pyrotechnic crews are safe, and we’re always looking out for possible fires from the fallout.”

The safety inspections are rigorous — the paperwork must be in order, including licenses, insurance and safety stickers, plus security, storage, safety equipment, mortar inspection, ground devices, fallout and all post-display activities.

Fire prevention personnel such as Michael and Wun attend pyrotechnic training at least once a year to keep up with new technology and codes.

After the Long Beach inspection and an emergency-operations meeting, Michael will head back to Newport Dunes, where he will spend the rest of his day. He will complete inspections for the set-up of racks, mortars, shells and wiring connections along with final testing of circuits, since it’s an all-electronic show.

Fifteen minutes before the 9 p.m. show time, John Wayne Airport will be notified and the airspace will be cleared. Michael, positioned next to the shooter, can stop the show at any time.

“Once the show starts, while everyone else is looking up, I’m looking down at the surrounding area for any unexploded shells [and] observing the mortars and racks to make sure they’re vertical and not horizontal,” he said.

At the Wedge, the barge will be under the supervision of Nils Nehrenheim, a pyrotechnic operator and computer entrepreneur who also is a Redondo Beach City Council member. Nehrenheim has been doing fireworks displays for 18 years and the Caruso show for five years.

“It’s a part-time gig that’s a ‘for fun’ kind of hobby,” Nehrenheim said. “It’s extremely exciting to do fireworks shows — brings out the little kid in you to be up close and personal to the fireworks.”

Michael said Caruso originally asked that the fireworks be displayed in front of his house on the Balboa Peninsula bay, but Michael couldn’t approve it with the close proximity to homes. Caruso’s guests instead view the show aboard his 216-foot yacht, Invictus, or from the Wedge.

The Wedge show, like the others, begins at 9 p.m. and is visible from various spots around Newport Beach.

Susan Hoffman is a contributor to Times Community News.