New ad campaign to target illegal fireworks in Salinas
Fourth of July is just about a month away, but complaints are already rolling in about illegal fireworks going off in neighborhoods across Salinas.
It’s a huge problem every year, and even more so during the drought.
“You know it’s going to come down, but you don’t know where. That’s the bad part,” said South Salinas resident Robert Bramman about fireworks.
Bramman still remembers a horrible firework accident in his neighborhood five years ago. One house burned to the ground, and three more were damaged.
Already this year, the Salinas Fire Department has received several complaints about illegal fireworks.
“Anything that flies in the air, anything that goes boom or bang, is an illegal firework,” Salinas Fire Battalion Chief Brett Loomis said.
Loomis said it’s a community issue: “We have numerous grass fires every year.”
Plus, they’re dangerous. Loomis said an M-80, even though it looks small, has the power to blow someone’s hand off.
The M-80 looks a lot like a legal one, known as ‘safe and sane’. Those are allowed in designated areas of Salinas.
But it’s easy to tell the difference between legal and illegal — all legal ones have a round seal.
During the second week of June, a new ad campaign reminding people to not use illegal fireworks will be on city buses. There will also be public service announcements on the radio and TV.
On July 4th, Salinas firefighters will increase their response. But until then, they hope people can be their eyes and ears.
Here are some more fireworks tips:
-If you want to hand over illegal fireworks, don’t just leave them on the doorsteps of a fire department. Make sure you talk with someone so the proper measures can be taken.
-The older a firework is, the more unstable and potentially dangerous it is. The Salinas Fire Department has had to call out the bomb squad in cases where the fireworks are old.
-Even ‘safe and sane’ fireworks can be dangerous, or start fires. Make sure you’re in a place where you’re allowed to use them, and make sure parents light them, not children.
