Fourth fun, but no flames please

While the bottle rockets are blasting off, block parties are whooping

it up and sizzling and fizzling mixtures of fireworks are lighting up

local neighborhoods and parks, police and fire officials will be

watching for danger tonight in a way they haven’t before.

Starting around 4 p.m. and stretching on into the night, Costa

Mesa police and fire officials will be roaming the city together in

police cruisers on the lookout for illegal fireworks, and even legal

ones used in the wrong area.

The task force is not out to ruin anyone’s Independence Day fun,

authorities said, adding that Costa Mesa is one of few cities in the

surrounding area that even allows fireworks. But what they don’t want

is something to happen like last year, when a woman in Costa Mesa

suffered second- and third-degree burns after an accident with a

sparkler, Dep. Fire Chief Gregg Steward told the Pilot as he stood

near acres of dry grass at Fairview Park. The park is an area Costa

Mesa authorities will watch closely this year precisely because of

the dry brush there.

Authorities are also reacting to a local outcry in which some

called for fireworks to be banned in the city. The council limited

the stands to 40 and created new criteria for those who could apply

while giving new teeth to the city ordinance. One new provision is

that fireworks be discharged only between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. A new

item in the ordinance also banned the sale of spinners and hand-held

fireworks unless in approved assortments.

The Pilot’s Ryan Carter talked with the fire department’s Steward

and police Capt. Jim Watson, field operations commander, about their

plans for the fourth and the new efforts they are taking to make sure

Independence Day fun doesn’t turn a little too independent.

What are some of your plans for quelling the dangers of fireworks

in Costa Mesa this Fourth of July?

Steward: We’ll check up on block parties and make sure that

everything is set up correctly and that we’re aware of where they are

all located. Firefighters’ job during this time will be to help

identify which fireworks are illegal and which aren’t illegal, and

the police officers will take care of the law enforcement part.

Watson: The overall plan is that we are having nine units in

addition to the normal complement of people working. These will be

two-man units, six will be firefighters and an officer and three of

them will be two-person police units. That will be in addition to the

normal complement. The [task force] is tasked with just fireworks

issues -- illegal fireworks and the misuse of legal fireworks. They

will be in the field about 4 p.m. on. They will be proactive in the

places where we have traditionally had problems, the parks, parking

lots, areas people gather for public parties and that kind of thing.

What has prompted the increased enforcement?

Steward: A new ordinance was passed by City Council in an effort

to try to make things a little safer for citizens and because of an

incident that was a good example of why we are doing this. A lady

last year was using a sparkler and her clothes caught on fire and she

was severely burned.

The idea was not to ban them, but to say, “let’s take a closer

look at the program, lets make it as safe as possible. Let’s maybe

eliminate the hand-held-type things and things going airborne.” We

don’t want anything being in there where it could come down on

someone’s roof.

It’s not like we’re going to have riot helmets on and batons

waiving and we’re going to be going out looking for people to take

down. This is going to be done in a way where we want people to enjoy

their Fourth. We don’t want to hinder their activities, but to make

it safer for them and for the city.

Watson: There’s been a lot of public concern about use of illegal

fireworks and the resulting nuisance, the trash left behind. Over the

last two years, we’ve seen an increase in that problem and an

increase in the use of illegal fireworks, particularly the

mortar-type. Someone shoots one off in the neighborhood and they run.

It’s not like everyone will be hammered. We’ll take enforcement

action when it’s warranted and look for volunteer compliance for

minor issues.

How do people put themselves in danger while using the fireworks?

Steward: It’s not illegal, but one thing we are concerned about is

when people set something off right next to someone else. [Setting

off fireworks] should be done with adult supervision, with clearance

enough to enjoy the fireworks. But sometimes not everyone has the

best common sense.

Will your department have enough staffing for other calls for

service?

Steward: While the firefighters are out doing this, if any

emergency goes down, they will respond to an emergency. These are

things they will be doing when they are not on emergency response.

There will be normal staffing for emergency response.

Watson: All the other traditional details will still be fully

staffed.

What are the dangerous areas in the city?

Steward: This park could be our main concern. But we have to look

at the city as a whole. There are still a lot of roofs made out of

wood. While we’re sitting here checking out the brush, we don’t want

to ignore the homes.

I’m sure the people that live there would consider their homes

much more valuable than some brush. But we have to be careful of not

letting this get going if we did have a fire here, because of homes

on the border of the park.

Structural protection is our main concern. It could be right next

to a dry park . It could be right in the middle of a residential

areas where there is no dry brush around, where people think, “Hey,

I’m not out where everything is dry and dead. This should be fine

here.” And they forget that a 25- or 30-year-old wood roof is just

waiting for a bottle rocket or something that could take off.

What has the danger been in past years?

Steward: Over the last few years, we’ve had a few small brush

fires. Some not out here at Fairview Park, but maybe a small brush

island, where there’s housing around and there’s a field. We’ve had a

few roof fires. A couple years ago, a lot of bottle rockets were

going off. We don’t seem to have many personal injuries and that’s

something we’re happy about.

How much will the task force cost?

Steward: We won’t know until it’s done. It will depend on what’s

happening that day. When it’s over, staffing and cleanup costs will

be tabulated. All that takes time.