A note from our friend Ann Erdman, Pasadena's public information officer, about fire safety and the Americafest at the Rose Bowl July 4 that's worth passing on:
SAFETY URGED DURING FOURTH OF JULY ACTIVITIES IN PASADENA
Pasadena Fire Department and Pasadena Police Department remind residents and visitors that the best way to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with family and friends is by attending a professional fireworks show.
The sale and possession of all fireworks is illegal in Pasadena as well as most of Los Angeles County. Violators are subject to confiscation and impound of vehicles, up to one year in jail and fines up to $50,000.
Due to high fire hazards associated with record-low rainfall the past few years, Pasadena police and fire personnel will staff checkpoints to seize all illegal fireworks and arrest offenders. Parking enforcement officers will ensure that vehicles illegally parked in hillside areas on July 4 are impounded.
Pasadena’s police and fire chiefs stress that the aim is to prevent accidents and injuries.
“Even sparklers, which most people consider safe, can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, burn people seriously and cause fires,” said Pasadena Fire Chief Dennis J. Downs. “Adults wouldn’t ordinarily allow children to get near anything that hot but for some reason they think it’s acceptable to put sparklers in the hands of small children on the Fourth of July.”
Statistics show that nearly 10,000 fireworks-related injuries are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms annually. The highest injury rates are for children aged 5 to 9 and 10 to 14. In 2007, more than nine out of 10 (92 percent) emergency room patients with fireworks-related injuries were injured by fireworks that federal regulations permit consumers to use. Fireworks are the riskiest consumer product.
Prior to this year’s holiday, Pasadena Fire Department will apply Phos-Chek on July 2 to brush areas surrounding the Rose Bowl Stadium. The main ingredients of this wildland fire retardant are phosphates and fertilizers that help prevent trees and grassland from burning and revegetate wildland areas.
“This is a preventive measure for Fourth of July activities and the summer season,” Downs added.
For more information about fireworks safety and enforcement, contact Pasadena Fire Department at (626) 744-7276 or Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4501.
For information about the Americafest Fourth of July celebration, visit www.rosebowlstadium.com or call (626) 577-3101.
Pasadena Fire Department and Pasadena Police Department remind residents and visitors that the best way to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with family and friends is by attending a professional fireworks show.
The sale and possession of all fireworks is illegal in Pasadena as well as most of Los Angeles County. Violators are subject to confiscation and impound of vehicles, up to one year in jail and fines up to $50,000.
Due to high fire hazards associated with record-low rainfall the past few years, Pasadena police and fire personnel will staff checkpoints to seize all illegal fireworks and arrest offenders. Parking enforcement officers will ensure that vehicles illegally parked in hillside areas on July 4 are impounded.
Pasadena’s police and fire chiefs stress that the aim is to prevent accidents and injuries.
“Even sparklers, which most people consider safe, can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, burn people seriously and cause fires,” said Pasadena Fire Chief Dennis J. Downs. “Adults wouldn’t ordinarily allow children to get near anything that hot but for some reason they think it’s acceptable to put sparklers in the hands of small children on the Fourth of July.”
Statistics show that nearly 10,000 fireworks-related injuries are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms annually. The highest injury rates are for children aged 5 to 9 and 10 to 14. In 2007, more than nine out of 10 (92 percent) emergency room patients with fireworks-related injuries were injured by fireworks that federal regulations permit consumers to use. Fireworks are the riskiest consumer product.
Prior to this year’s holiday, Pasadena Fire Department will apply Phos-Chek on July 2 to brush areas surrounding the Rose Bowl Stadium. The main ingredients of this wildland fire retardant are phosphates and fertilizers that help prevent trees and grassland from burning and revegetate wildland areas.
“This is a preventive measure for Fourth of July activities and the summer season,” Downs added.
For more information about fireworks safety and enforcement, contact Pasadena Fire Department at (626) 744-7276 or Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4501.
For information about the Americafest Fourth of July celebration, visit www.rosebowlstadium.com or call (626) 577-3101.
