GILROY
– While most people are buying food and fireworks for their
Fourth of July barbecues, the California Highway Patrol and Gilroy
police and fire departments are working long hours to ensure a safe
holiday.
GILROY – While most people are buying food and fireworks for their Fourth of July barbecues, the California Highway Patrol and Gilroy police and fire departments are working long hours to ensure a safe holiday.
CHP Public Affairs Officer Terry Mayes said 48 officers will be patrolling the highways Friday and Saturday. They will also staff two drunk-driving checkpoints in undisclosed locations in San Benito County, she said.
“We like to prevent accidents and casualties anyway we can, and we are not going to tolerate anyone driving under the influence,” Mayes said.
The officers represent a 10 percent increase in comparison to previous years. They all will be working rotating eight-hour shifts.
The checkpoints will begin setting up at around 6 p.m. with a staff of six officers and one sergeant. They will be checking every car and looking for impaired drivers, Mayes said.
Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 30 minutes and nonfatally injure someone every two minutes, according to the United States Department Of Health and Human Services. Mayes believes the checkpoints are a great visible deterrent for people thinking about driving when they have been drinking.
In addition to CHP, the Gilroy Police Department is doubling the number of officers it has on duty for a normal weekend, Gilroy Police Capt. Debbie Moore said. The Hollister Independence Rally is one factor that led to the decision that no GPD officers have the weekend off, she said. There will be 15 to 20 officers patrolling throughout the evenings with 10 to 12 during the day.
“We will be maximizing our strength throughout the weekend to maintain the peace,” Moore said.
The Gilroy Fire Department will be staffed with an extra 12 people, making it a total of 30 firefighters on duty, Capt. Ed Bozzo said.
“The fire department will have four engines staffed, a medic-81 and four-code enforcement vehicles on patrol,” he said.
This weekend poses a high fire risk. Last year, 45 calls were placed to 911 regarding the use of illegal fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday; this year officials are planning to crack down and issue citations.
The California Department of Forestry has added 10 people to its staff, who will work with the fire department and monitor the use of fireworks in Santa Clara County.
“We will have patrols set up at all of the reservoirs – at Uvas, Chesbro and Anderson,” said Chris Morgan, CDF fire prevention specialist.
Morgan said CDF also will have pre-designated areas for engines to be dispatched – speeding response times if there is an emergency – along with an extra fire prevention law enforcement advisor. In addition, the CDF headquarters in Morgan Hill will have extra volunteers working in its information center for people to call in emergencies.
“We are really trying to have a big blanket of coverage this year,” Morgan said.
Morgan said people also need to be aware that Gilroy is the only city still allowing the use of fireworks, and it is illegal to possess them anywhere else in the South County area.
“There will be no tolerance for this, including any use of illegal fireworks, like M-80s and bottle rockets,” Morgan said.
With the fire department issuing citations this year, “Some people can be fined up to $1,000 for a misdemeanor, while others could receive state imprisonment for a felony charge,” Bozzo said.
The Gilroy Fire Department wants to remind people to use fireworks safely, especially around children, Bozzo said.
Three-day weekends involve celebrating and usually that means lots of partying and drinking, Mayes said. She has three important tips to help ensure a safe holiday weekend.
“Most importantly, don’t drink and drive, don’t forget to buckle up and try and think responsibly,” she said. “The main goal of everyone should be to have a great time with their families and friends, but to make wise decisions so that you will be here to celebrate with them again next year.”
