LAKE COUNTY — As Independence Day approaches, local law enforcement agencies are gearing up for an influx of fireworks-related service demands.
Consumer use of fireworks—even those designated “safe and sane”—is generally prohibited in California, but local laws can change that. In Lake County, the City of Lakeport allows fireworks, while the unincorporated areas of the county as well as the City of Clearlake each prohibit them.
For law enforcement in Lakeport—where more than 1,000 people congregated in Library Park last year to watch the city’s annual professional fireworks show—July 4 is the “biggest day of the year,” said Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen. His agency, he noted, is preparing to significantly bolster its enforcement operations on the holiday.
“Our entire department will be on duty that day,” Rasmussen said. The department will receive mutual aid from the Clearlake Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Lake County Probation Department, he added. They’ll be on “high alert” for drunk drivers as well, Rasmussen noted.
Despite Clearlake’s ban, Clearlake Police Department Captain Tim Celli said the department gets a big spike in calls on the July 4 holiday and throughout the days around it. “There are so many calls for service regarding fireworks,” he remarked.
The CPD is asking the public to report illegal fireworks usage to the police department, and to remain on scene after calling in to act as a witness of alleged fireworks usage. “If they see something,” Celli said, it helps enforcement of fireworks regulations when those who call to report fireworks usage are “willing to tell us they saw them.”
Penalties for fireworks use in Clearlake—which can vary from administrative citations to municipal code violations, barring much more serious charges for reckless or arson-related use—typically bring a fine of up to $500.
Though no officially recognized fireworks shows will happen in the city on July 4, the “Redbud Parade & Festival” taking place through the weekend features a fireworks show on July 6.
“This weekend is generally our busiest weekend with different calls for service,” Celli said.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said his office is “expecting hundreds of calls on fireworks” over the July 4 weekend, noting that “fireworks calls are a challenge for the department,” which will operate a sheriff’s boat patrol on Clear Lake to watch for reckless and intoxicated boat drivers as well as other violations, including fireworks.
The LCSO will also be upping its presence in the Lake Pillsbury area of the Mendocino National Forest, Martin said. The Lake Pillsbury area, home to about 450 residents, is a popular tourist destination that can draw Independence Day crowds.
Consumer use of fireworks was debated locally last year during a Lakeport City Council meeting on July 17 when the council considered a proposal to include a fireworks ban on the general election ballot.
Supporters of a potential ban argued that the benefits of fireworks are not worth the risks. Others—notably members of the Channel Cats swim program, which, like local schools and other organizations fundraises via fireworks sales—said the benefits outweigh the fire risk.
The council opted not to place the proposed measure on the ballot.
Lakeport chief Rasmussen said he cannot remember any major fires started by fireworks in the Lakeport area during the past several years, but noted that “a couple of small grass fires” or “shopping carts on fire” did come to mind.
“I don’t have a problem with the safe and sane fireworks as long as people are following the rules,” he said. “The problem I have is with the people that don’t follow the rules and use them unsafely.”
