The Board of Supervisors Tuesday is slated to approve a 2022 Fireworks Safety Action Plan to deter use of illegal pyrotechnics in unincorporated communities, establishing a campaign to begin ahead of the July Fourth weekend, with a $100,000 allocation for public service announcements and extra staff hours.
“A robust public information campaign and enforcement program will enhance the safety of our communities by lessening the risks associated with illegal fireworks,” according to an Executive Office statement posted to the board’s agenda.
The Action Plan concept was first implemented by the board just prior to the July Fourth celebrations last year. A “You Light It, We Write It” campaign was initiated using changeable electronic message signs, and the board authorized the deployment of Department of Code Enforcement officers to coordinate closely with sheriff’s deputies and Cal Fire personnel to find and issue fines to residents caught using fireworks without a permit.
The Executive Office is seeking $100,000 in General Fund money to start the campaign anew this month.
Roughly $30,000 of that sum would cover overtime costs for increased deployment of code enforcement officers, and another $70,000 would cover public service announcements using roadside message signs, digital billboards and broadcast messages, according to the EO.
In the new campaign, sheriff’s deputies would take the lead in identifying fireworks violators, with at least 10 code enforcement officers dedicated to roving patrols from July 1 to July 4, partnering with deputies, including during the overnight hours, to catch scofflaws.
In April 2021, the Office of County Counsel, in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Department and Cal Fire, drafted amendments to long-standing regulations codified under county Ordinance No. 858 prohibiting illegal pyrotechnics.
Under the amendments, higher civil penalties were established, ranging between $1,000 and $5,000. The amount depends on the number of violations within a 36-month period. The previous fines were between $500 and $1,000.
The revisions also created liabilities for property owners who knowingly permit someone to light illegal fireworks, increasing penalties further.
The final provision of the revised ordinance granted the county fire chief authority to designate specific locations in unincorporated areas where so-called “safe and sane” fireworks can be sold and ignited. In Blythe, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs and Indio, the safe and sane devices — like sparklers, fountains and snappers that don’t shoot into the air — are permitted.
Although the chief has discretion on issuing permits authorizing sales of legal pyrotechnics, cities within the county that have stand-alone fire agencies continue to have their own regulatory processes for permitting fireworks shows.
People can report illegal fireworks via the enforcement hotline, 1-800-950-2444, or at www.riversidesheriff.org/555/fireworks.
In 2020, a series of illicit fireworks-related incidents occurred on or just before Independence Day that some officials attributed to “lockdown fever,” with people seeking outlets amid coronavirus-related restrictions, which resulted in most public fireworks shows being canceled countywide that summer.
Multiple brush fires erupted, causing property damage but no injuries.
Immediately afterward, Supervisors Kevin Jeffries and Karen Spiegel requested that the county develop more robust strategies for deterring and penalizing the use, possession and sales of illegal pyrotechnics.