Alameda County Fire officials warn of July 4th holiday heatwave fireworks risk
The Alameda County Fire Department on Monday demonstrated just how fast fireworks can spark grass fires.
The hot temperatures this week have fire officials worried about crews getting stretched too thin this Independence Day.
"Temperatures always seem around the Fourth of July to creep up on up," said Division Chief Randall West of the Alameda County Fire Dept. "Like this is the week of the year for us. For the sun to be even hotter, the grass to be even drier."
Across the Bay Area first responders are looking at the confluence of the calendar and the weather forecast, and they see trouble.
"We're here right now with a few more pieces of apparatus that are specialized for responding to wildland fires," said Capt. Eric Truax by the deployed vehicles.
Alameda County Fire is just one of the departments that is staffing up for the week, and they even set a hillside on fire to show just how dry things already are. And on the 4th of July, it's rarely just one fire.
"If we have a small grass fire in Castro Valley we respond with all these specialized resources to Castro Valley," Truax explained. "Now we have something in Livermore. Now we need to balance who needs to go to Castro Valley who goes to Livermore. Meanwhile, a fire starts in Union City. Now we have three different cities, driving in the bay area, through traffic."
"We're talking, you know, 50 to 100 patients at our facility just around that holiday," said Dr. Clifford Sheckter of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
The head of the burn unit joined in Santa Clara County's plea for holiday restraint. And law enforcement is also mobilizing for the annual flood of illegal fireworks.
"We're putting out additional patrols, both marked and unmarked units, people shooting off these aerials and larger ordinance," said Capt. Sean McMillan of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office "It is illegal, they are dangerous."
And all of this will be complicated by all of the additional medical calls that can come with extreme heat. And while first responders around the Bay Area are getting ready.
"We can go out and do all the community education that's possible," West added. " But what we do need is the community to play their part to be safe as well."