Breaking The Law On 4th Of July

PALM SPRINGS – The Fourth of July is a busy nights for parties and fire crews.

“We had a lot of people calling in saying people were shooting off bottle rockets,” says Mark Avner, Palm Springs Fire Battalion Chief. ” Our engines were back and forth around the city.”

From Palm Springs to Coachella, thousands attended professional firework shows. However, some broke the law and put on potentially dangerous shows of their own.

“We have had people set off fireworks and blow fingers and hands off,” says Avner.

The city of Palm Springs does not allow the sale or set off of any fireworks, but some surrounding cities do. This is where the problems arise; people buy fireworks in cities where they’re legal and then set them off where it’s illegal.

“We had people calling in and complaining about the noise,” says Avner.

In Palm Springs several people were arrested for firing off “Safe and Sane” displays inside the firework-free city. As expected firework calls were non-stop, so extra crews were ready to manage the overflow.

“We had a strong presence out there,” says Avner.

Although the grand finale is done, the show isn’t over for fire crews. As people set off the last of their fireworks, fire trucks are set into action.

“It’s brush fire season so people will go out and set off bottle rockets and set fires,” says Avner.