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Crime & Safety

Red, White and Burn?

Despite record rainfall, Petaluma hills offer plenty of fuel for fires

On Monday, the Petaluma fire department officially declared the start of fire season.

This is especially true on the West Side, where many neighborhoods wrap around open space that has become dry as tinder.  With July 4th just weeks away, the  has sent out 2,000 mailers to homeowners on the topic of fireworks restrictions.

“This is a serious concern," Fire Marshall Cary Fergus said. "In a lot of areas there’s still a lot of green, but the hills are really dry. This year we had so much rain we had to extend the weed abatement program through June 15,” said Fergus confirming that there’s a lot of fuel in the form of dried grasses and weeds.

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He also knows that there’s interest in increasing firework sales from four days to five. Right now, 18 nonprofits will have booths up with sales commencing July 1 and ending July 4.

“They might add one day but that is yet to be decided. The only legal day to use them (fireworks) is July 4 and we will be patrolling these areas and taking illegal fireworks and issuing citations for any use (of fireworks) on Saturday or Sunday,” Fergus said.

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In January, adopted an ordinance to amend the Petaluma Municipal Fire Code prohibiting fireworks in what is called High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.

Where are those? 

Think of it as anything west of the following streets: Chapman Lane, Benjamin Lane, parts of Western, Hill Drive, Melvin Street, Hill Boulevard, West El Rose and El Rose Drive to Sunnyslope, past Deer Valley Court to First Street.

A second large protected area starts behind including Mountain View and that 40 acre-open space between established homes and the country club.

That’s a lot of territory considering that on any given day in Petaluma, only 14 firefighters are on duty.

Several city parks are approved for fireworks on Fourth of July. They include: , , (not on soccer fields), Wiseman Park (only on the ball fields) and the l west lawn and parking lot. Fireworks are not allowed in private parking lots or on school grounds. 

The other day I was startled to see a big red fire truck, several firefighters and lots of hose on the sidewalk around the corner from my home. It looked like they had just put a fire out, but they assured me that they were just training. Part of it included testing the water hookups and water pressure at the location where if a fire did break out it would have miles of dry straw fuel to gobble up.

“Our biggest asset is practicing. The firefighters have been gearing up for summer by practicing. They have all their gear ready. They’re prepared for that area, “ Fergus said. And they can rely on mutual aid from volunteer stations and fire stations from other nearby towns, if needed.

So, how do you tell the difference between safe and sane fireworks and illegal fireworks? Safe and sane fireworks have the words “safe and sane” clearly printed on them.

Should you rat out your neighbor’s kid if he’s horsing around with fireworks in his own driveway?

“Basically, anything that goes ‘BOOM!’ or anything that takes off, flies, it’s dangerous. You should call it in,” said Fergus. “I’m hoping that this year neighbors will really be looking out for each other.”

The City of Petaluma will sponsor a public fireworks display at the beginning at 9:15 p.m. with gates opening at 4 p.m.  Adult admission is $2 and free for kids under the age of 6.

 To report illegal fireworks or illegal use of fireworks call the .  non-emergency dispatch number at 778-4372 . 

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