First responders around the Bay are gearing up in hopes of heading off illegal fireworks displays before they turn into disasters. Stephanie Magallon reports.
The holiday weekend has begun. For most of Bay Area residents that means a chance to relax and celebrate, but for firefighters and police it's tense times.
First responders around the Bay Area are gearing up in hopes of heading off illegal fireworks displays before they turn into disasters.
In Morgan Hill, the city has activated the Community Emergency Response Team or "CERT" to hopefully help prevent a disaster this Fourth of July weekend.
“We have three teams of two roving each night along with the net control amateur radio person,” Colin Tanner, a CERT coordinator.
From Friday night and until Monday, those groups will be patrolling in marked vehicles, looking for illegal fireworks displays and help ease the Burdon on police.
This is actually the second year the CERT team has been activated. Between January and July, Morgan Hills 911 Dispatch Center has received more than 600 calls related to fireworks.
“Our amateur radio operators will be handling all the visual disturbances for fireworks noticed over the weekend through cert wave encouraged the community who lives up in the area to interact with cert to lesson up those phone calls,” said Jennifer Ponce, City of Morgan Hill’s Office of Emergency Services Coordinator
The teams will be focusing on hotspots in the city’s east foothills. If a volunteer sees fireworks, they’ll track its location and then call in an officer.
If someone is caught, expect fines of up to $5,000.
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“In addition to them, we have other teams from other agencies from parks roving and fire department are roving as well, this is an all-hands-on deck situation because of the fire risk were under right now,” Tanner said.
With the exception of Gilroy, fireworks are illegal in all corners of Santa Clara County. But there is an ordinance that allows the county to hold property owners accountable if they knowingly allow others to set off fireworks on their property.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department and San Jose fire said they’re also staffing up to make sure they're prepared for the worst.
“Thanks to the online reports from our community members over the years, we are using the data provided in those reports to create hot spot maps,” said San Jose fire spokesperson Erica Ray.
In San Jose, they're asking if someone sees something, to say something. Residents can even make the report online.
The South Bay agencies said the safest celebration this holiday is to leave the fireworks to the professionals. There’s going to be several shows throughout the Bay Area, including one at Discovery Meadow, where the city is already setting up tents and tables.
In the East Bay, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has set up toll-free hotline for use by residents to immediately contact and report any illegal fireworks use in their area. The phone number is 1-833-885-2021.
