Firefighters Hoping for Safer July Fourth

Fourth of July fireworks went on sale Tuesday in many cities and unincorporated communities, signaling firefighters to prepare for what has become one of their busiest periods.

So far, there have been encouraging indications for this Fourth. The weather has been cooler than last year’s, making grass, brush and shingles a little less dry. Fireworks-related emergency calls have been fewer.

Last year, Orange County had more fireworks fires than any other California county except Los Angeles. From June 26 to July 5, 117 fires caused 18 injuries and more than $330,000 in property damage in Orange County, and the two main causes were illegal firecrackers and “safe-and-sane” sparklers, according to Joe Kerr, a spokesman for the county Fire Department.

On the other hand, this year’s Fourth is part of a three-day weekend that could encourage more than the usual use of fireworks. “Anything can happen this weekend,” Kerr said.

As they have in previous years, fire officials have waged a publicity battle against the misuse of legal and illegal fireworks.

On Tuesday, near Irvine Lake east of Orange, county fire officials demonstrated some of the dozens of illegal fireworks they have confiscated. The display included inch-long “ladyfinger” firecrackers, which are powerful enough to cause severe hand injuries, “M-200s,” which have enough explosive force to destroy a cantaloupe, and “M-400s,” which officials said have the explosive power of half a stick of dynamite.

And they are not the only illegal fireworks, Kerr said. “When you alter these ‘safe-and-sane’ fireworks they become illegal. If you take a sparkler and throw it in the air, it is not still a legal firework.”

Some cities have banned the sale and discharge of fireworks altogether--including Laguna Beach, La Habra, Newport Beach, Seal Beach and Tustin.

Last January, Brea joined the group. The City Council adopted a fireworks ban after city voters narrowly endorsed such a measure on last November’s ballot. The City Council majority, too, was slim--3 to 2. Now, anyone who discharges or sells fireworks in Brea is subject to a $75 fine.

“In past years I’ve always dreaded the Fourth of July because of the number of incidents,” Brea Fire Department Capt. Hank Roemisch said. “There’s not just fires but personal injury--kids getting hurt and burned.”

To discourage the setting off of fireworks in neighborhoods, most communities have organized public aerial fireworks shows, some of them free to the public.

In Huntington Beach, where fireworks are permitted, officials are preparing for an unusually busy Fourth of July, what with the extended weekend, the usual beach traffic and the city’s annual Fourth of July parade.

Illegal Flow Slowed

While “safe and sane” fireworks are allowed in the city, each July enough illegal fireworks are confiscated to fill a Dumpster, Fire Marshal James Vincent said. Last year, the city was “flooded with calls” about illegal fireworks, he said.

Fire marshals said an annual flow of illegal fireworks from Mexico, Nevada and abroad has been slowed by increased law enforcement. Still, materials from Asia destined for Nevada factories sometimes wind up in California, Vincent said.

Laws are enforced to different degrees, depending on the danger of the particular firework, Kerr said. For example, Santa Ana firefighters and police usually confiscate fireworks or cite violators who face fines of $100. But, Kerr said, possession of a large amount of illegal fireworks can result in a jail term.

Under state law, those caught with fireworks containing a pound or more of gunpowder are subject to a felony sentence of up to a year and a $5,000 fine.

Some cities have stepped up enforcement of fireworks laws because fire risk is particularly high in certain parts of the community. Kerr explained that one of the reasons Tustin banned fireworks was the concentration of wood shingle roofs in some of its residential districts.