Pasadena Fire Chief Warns of Dangerous Fire Season, Reports Fireworks Task Force Has Been Activated One Month Early

Following a June 8 fire which destroyed a Summit Avenue home, and  according to Pasadena Fire Department investigators, was caused by a pair of children playing with illegal fireworks,  Fire Chief Chad Augustin reported to the City Council Public Safety Committee Wednesday on Fire Department efforts to reduce the use of illegal fireworks this summer.

“We’re here a full month in advance,” Augustin began. “We kicked off our task force a month early, and I’m confident that this year we’re going to see a reduction in fireworks activity.”

Augustin recounted last year’s California fire season, which was the worst in its history.

“These are just staggering numbers,” said Augustin. “Over 4 million acres burned over,  across almost 10,000 incidents. There were 33 fatalities and over 10,000 structures that were lost.”

“We also saw some of the most extreme levels of illegal fireworks that I’ve seen in my career,” he continued. Augustin also noted that the Department will be issuing its 2020 safety commission report in just under two weeks.

“What we’re expecting is that we’re going to see up to a tenfold increase from previous years,” said Augustin. “We’re also looking at severe drought conditions with extreme risks for another horrible fire season.”

Augustin said that the department’s goals for the year were “to reduce fireworks activity, increase public awareness, reduce potential for bodily harm and have a reduction overall in the risk of fire loss.”

The Fire Department activated its Fireworks Task Force a full month in advance of previous years, he told the committee.

In anticipation of a busy season, the Department has rolled out its prevention campaign which includes a series of press conferences and social media efforts, along with street banners and placards, which remind residents that fireworks are illegal in Pasadena and also include a phone number and a QR code to connect with the Pasadena Citizens Service Center, along with  a reminder that fireworks law violators are subject to $1,000 fines.

Along with the messaging campaign, the Fire Department is also conducting a door-to-door campaign through various neighborhoods to personally spread the message of the dangers of fireworks.

As Augustin noted pointedly, “The Pasadena municipal code is for possession, sale, or discharge of fireworks, and it was amended in 2018.

We’re confident,” Augustin concluded, “that our early outreach with the goal of eliminating illegal fireworks, will be productive this year, and we’ll see a decrease from previous years.

“Our overall goal is to reduce the risk of injury,” he added, saying, “Because Pasadena continues to be a zero tolerance community, we’re really focusing on education and prevention, but we will do enforcement where appropriate.”