COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Bradley Dandridge, Fire Chief
DATE: August 5, 2025
SUBJECT: Presentation – Fireworks Education, Enforcement, and Entertainment
Description:
The City Council will receive a presentation on the Fire Department responses and firework enforcement efforts for July 4, 2025.
BACKGROUND:
Only Safe and Sane fireworks may be used within the City Limits between the 12-hour period of 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the Fourth of July. The enforcement penalty is a $1,000 fine for each citation. Like many cities, Santa Maria experiences rampant use of illegal fireworks. Last year 6 3 citations were issued. The intent is to encourage the community to responsibly celebrate the nation’s birthday.
DISCUSSION:
Education:
The City conducted its annual widespread and bilingual fireworks education campaign.
The focus was safety ; be mindful of your neighbors, veterans, and pets. Bilingual messages were placed on social media, local radio stations, City government access TV Comcast Channel 23, posters aboard buses and in City offices, the city website, and through the local news media. The Fire Chief spoke in English and Spanish in two public service announcements that also were distributed to KEYT/TELEMUNDO and KSBY. All City-permitted Safe and Sane fireworks booths were required to include one of the City’s fireworks fliers in each bag of pyrotechnics purchased; the city printed 15,000 of these bilingual fliers. Yard signs reading “Celebrate July 4th Neighborly, Noise Sensitive Resident Lives Here, Be Courteous to Your Neighbors” were again freely available at City Hall for City residents. Staff coordinated messaging with County animal services to inform pet owners how to care for their animals. The fireworks hotline (805) 925-0951 extension 3473 (FIRE) was monitored by the Police Department.
Enforcement:
The Fireworks Enforcement Operation for 202 5 commenced with Police Officers monitoring social medi a for fireworks sales and ended with successful arrests of individuals and confiscation of illegal fireworks. Santa Maria Fire Investigators and Police patrolled and responded to reports of illegal firework activity. Police Officers deployed for fireworks enforcement from June 30 th to July 4 th. The City again contracted an aircraft equipped with GPS and video to fly over the City on the Fourth of July to immediately and 2 geographically locate any launches of illegal fireworks, enabling authorities to issue citations to the property owner(s).
Fiscal Considerations:
About $4,000 was expended on the fireworks educational campaign.
Impact to the Community:
The City strives to balance the demands of people opposed to illegal fireworks, available public safety resources and the demands of competing calls for service, and the City’s longstanding tradition of allowing sales of legal “Safe and Sane” fireworks. Staff recognize the trauma suffered by noise-sensitive residents as well as panicked pets from fireworks.
In 2015, Council approved staff’s recommendations to create third -party administrative citations, undertake a comprehensive education campaign, increase fees for fireworks booths from $183 to $500 to cover costs for staff regulatory oversight and cleanup of fireworks. This included an increased penalty for the use of illegal fireworks to $1,000.