City, County Firefighters Geared Up for Their Busiest Day of the Year

Despite a massive anti-fireworks advertising campaign, lower temperatures than last year and a dramatic decrease in the number of illegal fireworks violations, county and city fire officials are still anticipating a busy Fourth of July.

Fireworks-related fires and injuries have been steadily decreasing in Los Angeles since 1981, and city fire officials are optimistic that the trend will continue, but Capt. Tony DiDomenico of the city Fire Deparment said this Independence Day, like most others, has “all the ingredients of a tragedy”--hot temperatures, dry brush and lots of fireworks.

Battalion Chief Gordon Pearson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said that current weather and fuel conditions are conducive to brush and roof fires. “We’ve had a brush start every day . . . for the past 10 days,” Pearson said.

Warm, Sunny Weather

While firefighters are sweating through their busiest day of the year, fighting up to five times the usual number of fires, hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians will flock to Southland beaches and parks and take advantage of predicted fair skies and temperatures in the mid-80s.

To reduce the number of fires and injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Chief John Englund asked holiday celebrants who want to see fireworks to go to one of the more than 40 professional fireworks displays throughout the county from Avalon to Lancaster. Among the largest shows will be those at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, the Santa Monica Pier and the Queen Mary in Long Beach; the Hollywood Bowl and Dodger Stadium are both sold out.

Police are also prepared for the usual assortment of holiday-inspired traffic jams and drunkenness.

A crew of 24 sheriff’s deputies on foot and riding small four-wheel-drive vehicles will issue citations for alcohol offenses along a 27-mile stretch of beach from the Ventura County line to Topanga Beach, said Sgt. Bill Marsh.

Santa Monica Crowd

Santa Monica police are expecting up to a million people to crowd the beach north of the Santa Monica Pier to see the city’s annual fireworks show. The city’s police and fire departments had asked the City Council in vain to ban the show because they said the large crowds caused traffic gridlock, increased crime and started fires by setting off illegal fireworks.

Police plan to close several streets and freeway off-ramps and change the traffic flow on other streets to relieve traffic problems. They will also clear the parking lots after the show to discourage drinking and fighting on the beach.

Pearson said the routine complement of firefighters will be on duty today at county fire stations, but added that some stations can expect to make 25 to 30 runs instead of the usual five or six.

DiDomenico said he expects the number of fireworks-related fires and injuries in Los Angeles to decrease again this year, as it has the last four. Last year, city firefighters responded to 96 fires on the Fourth of July, compared to 500 in 1981, he said. The number of fireworks-related injuries reported by hospital emergency rooms serviced by city paramedics also plummeted from 321 in 1981 to three last year.

He attributed the trend to an anti-fireworks advertising campaign started in 1982, consisting of billboards, handbills and television and radio announcements.

Pearson said all fireworks, including so-called safe-and-sane fireworks like sparklers and smoke snakes are banned in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and 17 of its 46 cities.

Still Popular

But despite the ban and the advertising campaign, fireworks, legal and illegal, are still popular on the holiday in many parts of the county. “You ought to come up to East L.A., which is an unincorporated area,” Pearson said. “It looks like a war zone.”

Officials have seen a significant decrease in the reported sale and possession of illegal fireworks, Pearson said.

A year ago, $7,000 worth of illegal fireworks--fireworks that explode or go off in the air--was seized by county fire officials. This year, only $2,000 worth has been confiscated, he said.

FIREWORKS DISPLAYS IN L.A. COUNTY

These public fireworks displays are free unless otherwise noted. All are tonight unless otherwise noted.

CITY LOCATION TIME Artesia Artesia Park, 18750 Clarkdale Ave. Dusk. Avalon Cabrillo Mole passenger terminal 9 p.m. Bell Gardens Ford Park, 8000 S. Scout Ave. Dusk. Burbank McCambridge Park, 1515 N. Glenoaks Blvd. 9 p.m. Carson California State University, Dominguez Hills 9 p.m. Cerritos Cerritos Park East, 13234 East 166th St. 9 p.m. Claremont Pomona College, 10th and College streets 9 p.m. Tickets at Mem. Park, 8440 N. Indian Hill Blvd. Cudahy Cudahy Park, 5220 Santa Ana St. Dusk. Culver City Culver City High School, 4473 Harter Ave. Dusk. Downey Warren High School, 8141 De Palma St. Dusk. $1 general admission, children under 8 free El Monte Arroyo High School, 4921 N. Cedar Ave. 9 p.m. El Segundo Recreation and Parks Dept., 401 Sheldon St. 9 p.m. Gardena Rowley Park, 13220 S. Van Ness Ave. Dusk. Gardena Ascot Park, 17832 S. Vermont Ave. 7 p.m. $7 adult, $3.50 13-17 years; $1 9-12 Glendora Citrus College, 18824 E. Foothill Blvd. 9 p.m. Huntington Park Huntington Park High School, 6020 Miles Ave. Dusk. Lakewood Mayfair Park, 5720 Clark Ave. 9 p.m. La Mirada La Mirada High School Dusk. $5 for adults; $3 children 6-12 Lancaster Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, 155 E. Avenue I 9 p.m. La Verne Bonita High School, 3102 D St. 7 p.m. $4 for adults; $3 for children. Lawndale Leuzinger High School, 4118 W. Rosecrans Ave. 8 p.m. Lomita Lomita Park, 24428 Eshelman Ave. Saturday. Dusk. Long Beach Near Belmont Pier, Ocean Blvd. and 39th Pl. 8:30 p.m. Long Beach Veterans Stadium, Clark and Conant 6 p.m. $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 children 5 to 12 Lynwood Lynwood Park, Century Boulevard and Bullis Road 8:30 p.m. Marina del Rey South Jetty, Vista Del Mar, 9 p.m. Montebello Grant Rea Park, 600 N. Rea Drive 9 p.m. Monterey Park E. Los Angeles City College 9 p.m. Newhall Hart High School, 24825 N. Newhall Ave. Dusk. Northridge Cal State Northridge, 18000 Devonshire St. 6 p.m. $4.50, $3 for children 5 to 11 Pac. Pali. H.S. 15500 Sunset Blvd. 9 p.m. Pasadena Rose Bowl 6 p.m. $6 for adults; $4 for children 12 and under. Pico Rivera Smith Park, 6016 Rosemead Blvd. 9 p.m. Rosemead Rosemead Park, 4343 Encinita Ave. 9 p.m. San Pedro Cabrillo Pier, 3720 Stephen White Drive 9 p.m. Santa Fe Springs Los Nietos Park, 1145 Charlesworth Road 9 p.m. Santa Monica Santa Monica Pier, Ocean and Colorado avenues 9 p.m. South El Monte New Temple Park, 1450 Lidcomb Ave. 9 p.m. South Gate South Gate Park, 4900 Southern Ave. 9 p.m. Torrance Wilson Park, 2300 Jefferson St. 8:45 p.m. Torrance El Camino College 7 p.m. adults $5, children 6 to 12 $2.50, under 5 free. Walnut Mt. San Antonio College, 1100 N. Grand Ave. 7 p.m. $6 for adults, $3 children. Whittier York Field, Mulberry and Santa Fe Springs, $3.50 Dusk. Woodland Hills Pierce College Stadium, 6201 Winnetka Ave. 6 p.m. $6, $4 seniors; $3 under 12