The Fourth of July is fast approaching and for some cities on the Central Coast, that means a firework-free holiday.
Atascadero city leaders are putting out a warning to community members days in advance letting them know anyone caught lighting or even in possession of “safe and sane” fireworks in the city will be cited and fined.
“The biggest concern in Atascadero is our wildland fire threat. We are a large city with a lot of open areas, a lot of grass brush, oak trees, oak woodland," said Casey Bryson, Atascadero Fire Chief.
According to city officials, all fireworks in the city of Atascadero have been prohibited for years, but it’s still a major concern.
“Weed abatement is in full swing and people are encouraged to keep their grass mowed in their fields. It's not all complete and still in progress. There are still big areas of grass out there that would be a great receptor for a spark or ember or a piece of a firework that lands and we are concerned that that could create sort of a wildland fire in town," added Bryson.
“I think it's really important that there are no fireworks allowed. Up here it's very dry. Vegetation is grown. It can go up quickly faster than people think," added Cathy Flores who was visiting family who lives in Atascadero.
Atascadero law enforcement and the fire department will be out in full force, cracking down on the use of all fireworks in the city.
“We issue an administrative citation, which the first offense is $100," said Bryson.
The price tag goes up from there. According to Chief Bryson by the third offense, the violator could be looking at a $500 citation.
The fire chief also adds there will be extra police officers and firefighters on duty on the fourth of July.
Another option for residents in the area is to attend the music festival being held at The Atascadero Lake Park.
The City of Atascadero is encouraging anyone possessing fireworks to turn them in to their local fire department, without fear of penalty or prosecution, so that they may be safely disposed of properly.
We asked Atascadero city leaders if they had numbers for citations or call that
they received last year during the holiday, they did not have that data at the time and said it would take time to collect.
KSBY also checks in with city leaders in Paso Robles. The police department responded saying they received 57 fireworks-related calls on July 4th, which are in addition to “normal” calls for service.
Paso Robles Police will also have extra patrol units enforce monitoring the area for fireworks violations. The department says most violations are misdemeanors with a $2,000 fine, even “safe and sane” fireworks. Anything that is an “explosive device” which includes items such as: M80, M100, “cherry bombs”, or anything which explodes with force can be a felony. There will be no warnings, and we will have drones in flight to ID violators.
