Gilroy
– Fire department officials are already planning for their
busiest day of the year – July 4.
Gilroy firefighters hope to build on the relative success of
last year’s Independence Day celebrations, but curb the apparently
rampant use of illegal fireworks.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Fire department officials are already planning for their busiest day of the year – July 4.
Gilroy firefighters hope to build on the relative success of last year’s Independence Day celebrations, but curb the apparently rampant use of illegal fireworks.
The plan for July 4, 2005 will be similar to the education, enforcement, and fire suppression efforts of last year, when the Gilroy Fire Department responded to just one structure fire that sustained $10,000 in damage. In 2003, firefighters fought seven vegetation and two structure fires that resulted in $425,000 in damage.
The fire department will again deploy three reserve fire engines, 18 additional firefighters, two additional chief officers and dispatchers, and 10 police officers on July 4. Enforcement teams of police officers and firefighters will patrol the city responding to calls and confiscating illegal fireworks.
The teams confiscated 5,105 illegal fireworks last year, and 3,076 in 2003. This year, more drop-off points for the confiscated devices could help the department increase that number again.
Illegal fireworks are the biggest threat to Independence Day safety, fire officials said, and residents made 15 calls for service – usually due to illegal or mishandled fireworks – in each of the past two years.
“The most difficult part of all this is, all those calls and stuff came over two hours,” GFD Division Chief Phil King said.
The police and firefighter teams encountered the same problem all over the city last year when responding to calls or encountering the use of illegal fireworks. Residents claimed to be ignorant of fireworks laws, none claimed responsibility for the illegal rockets, and many had a “bad attitude” when the fire suppression teams tried to enforce the laws.
A video from last Independence Day recorded by fire officials proves that illegal fireworks remain a real danger. GFD Division Chiefs Ed Bozzo and King played the video for city councilmen during a Nov. 12 retreat. The video aired earlier this year on public access Channel 20, and will be aired before next year’s celebration.
“The core problem is illegal fireworks,” Bozzo said, as the council saw sparkling fireworks burst above houses all over the city, and even over the wooded area west of the Welburn Avenue and Mantelli Drive intersection.
Gilroy is the only city in Santa Clara County that allows fireworks, but only those of the “safe and sane” variety, such as sparklers, pinwheels and cones that remain on the ground and are registered with the office of the state fire marshal. Fireworks that shoot into the air, move on the ground or explode are illegal in California.
Using the video, the GFD will step up its communication with problem neighborhoods early next summer, and may even send letters to those areas where illegal bottle rockets and other devices clearly were visible.
Controlling the fireworks in 2005 is expected to run about the same as last year, when costs for the GFD, police, and fire marshal reached $30,945 for the day. The city makes up that cost with a fee imposed on fireworks vendors.
