By Rachel Cohen and Aaron Kinney
Inside Bay Area (California)
Copyright 2006 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
All Rights Reserved
In a one-room booth along Highway 1, a colorful array of crazy eyeball poppers and crawling snakes lies in wait.
Like many booths in Pacifica and San Bruno, the only two places where it’s legal to buy Safe and Sane fireworks locally, there are dozens of TNT fireworks ranging from 50-cent poppers to $500 Big Bag boxes.
“Do you have any flying ones?” asked a customer Friday night.
“No,” said a volunteer. “They all want skyrockets. There are no bottle rockets, no Roman candles.”
While some revelers wish for a bigger boom, law enforcement officials across the county are mounting yet another Fourth of July assault on the use of Safe and Sane and illegal fireworks. It’s against the law to set off fireworks of any kind anywhere in the county except Pacifica and San Bruno, where Safe and Sane fireworks are sold for the four days leading up to the Fourth. Fireworks may be set off only on private property, with the owner’s permission; they may not be set off in the street, in parks or at schools.
“Every single officer, unless they had a vacation day, will be working, plus nine officers from Daly City,” said San Bruno police Lt. Marc Catalano.
So far, San Bruno’s fireworks-related arrests are down 50 percent from last year’s 74, Catalano said. Most arrests last year were for misdemeanors with $250-$300 fines; the felony arrests were for explosives, and offenders got 90 days in jail. This year there have been three arrests: two for illegal possession and one for unlawful use of Safe and Sane fireworks.
The California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection Office of the State Fire Marshal supervises the 3,534 licensed Safe and Sane fireworks retail stands and disposes of seized products. A multi-state-jurisdictional team works together to block many illegal fireworks from entering the state across the Nevada border. The team also has been able to catch dealers selling illegal fireworks interstate on the Internet and locally on Craiglist.com.
Vicki Sakamoto, division chief for fire engineering, said the agency disposed of 93 tons of illegal fireworks in 2005. As of June 26, the agency had collected 90 tons.
“I am almost certain we will surpass that number this year,” she said.
In 2005, there were four deaths statewide associated with fireworks and 10,800 injuries, 45 percent of which were to people under the age of 15.
Steven Brandvold, fire marshal for the North County Fire Authority which oversees Pacifica, Daly City and Brisbane, said there were 14 fireworks-related incidents, from minor fires in Dumpsters to medical calls, in Pacifica last year.
“We’re against fireworks except for professional displays,” said Brandvold. “We encourage people to enjoy these displays. We encourage people to follow the safety guidelines and use common sense such as ‘Don’t let children near the fireworks.’”
Pacifica normally has 10 firefighters staffing two engines plus one ambulance on the Fourth. This year they will add two fire engines and 10 more firefighters.
“We’re out there to jump on any incident quickly,” he said.
San Mateo police will also be at full strength, said Capt. Kevin Raffaelli. A group of officers will be assigned solely to fireworks patrols, responding to calls and complaints. The fire department will have engine companies and a battalion chief roaming in search of troublemakers, while employees from the Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments will be dispersed throughout the city.
Parks and Recreation employees expect to be on hand at the Lakeshore, Parkside Aquatic and Shoreline parks, where they will be greeting visitors who come down to watch the fireworks from Foster City. But they also will be providing additional “eyes and ears” for police, said Parks and Recreation Director Sheila Canzian.
Deputy Fire Marshal Maurice Dong said preventing personal injuries, fires and noise pollution are the top priorities for San Mateo’s pyrotechnics patrol. In hot and dry conditions, grass fires are easily sparked, while bottle rockets and other fireworks that land on roofs can cause structural fires, Dong said. No major injuries were reported in the county last year, though a Livermore man died when a mortar-type explosive went off in his face.
“Most injuries are burns from picking up pieces of fireworks,” Brandvold said.
Residents lighting fireworks should keep a bucket of water nearby to dump the fireworks in and turn on their garden hose.
In Pacifica, Safe and Sane fireworks can be detonated on private property with the owner’s permission or on Pacifica’s Lorna Mar Beach.
“People come from everywhere to celebrate the Fourth at the beach,” said Ruby, a local volunteer at the Red Devil Fireworks booth, next to Sea Bowl Lanes and one of Pacifica’s 15 booths, which opened June 28 and will close today. Volunteers staff all the booths, and each has a volunteer sign-up sheet for beach clean-up. A portion of the sales supports local schools, youth activities and community clubs.
A third volunteer, Laura, added, “You can’t ban everything or you ban the Fourth of July. Pacifica is so foggy that we don’t have to worry about fire. It is always foggy on the Fourth. Most of us light the fireworks in our driveway.”
For those waiting for big bangs and skies full of dazzling color, professional fireworks displays are set for the Port of Redwood City in Redwood City and in Foster City at the Leo Ryan Memorial Park. Shows will begin at sundown, 9 p.m.