California trades fireworks for drones as wildfire fears reshape Fourth of July
The Fourth of July means baseball, hot dogs, and, of course, fireworks. While America’s game and tube-tied meat remain greats, our overhead pyrotechnics seem to be changing a bit, especially in California.
The state has pushed back against fireworks shows, mainly due to wildfire dangers.
Instead, some of those firework shows have been replaced by synchronized drone displays.
“California is an extraordinarily dry state, and fireworks of all sorts cause lots of fires,” Edward Nordskog, retired detective in the arson and bomb units of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, told Straight Arrow. “In fact, they cause almost all the fires in the summer.”
Major firework shows
Over the last several years, major Los Angeles Fourth of July shows like the Rose Bowl and Grand Park have switched over to drone shows.
The city of Napa plans to hold its third consecutive drone show this year.
“The audience reaction to a show involving fireworks is much more positive than just a drone show,” Stephen Houser, former president and current counselor of the National Fireworks Association, said. “The thing is, with the actual fireworks, you get a much more involved sensory experience. You hear the booms, you can feel the explosions, and so it’s much more moving.”
For the most part, those fires don’t start due to major shows put on by trained professionals.
Like most issues these days, politics also plays a role.
“Conservatives believe that the left-wingers, especially in California, literally want to take away everything that’s fun, from motorcycles to boats to fireworks,” Nordskog said.
Among them is Republican Congressman Ken Calvert, who introduced legislation earlier this year that would waive certain regulations and allow more people to shoot off fireworks as part of their Fourth of July celebrations.
“Americans celebrate Independence Day by eating hot dogs, apple pie, and watching fireworks — and I’m not going to let left-wing lunatics stop that,” Calvert said.
His bill has not made it out of committee.
“I really don’t think it should be political, but human nature is never going to give in to everybody just getting along all the time,” Houser said. “But I would like to think that on the night of the Fourth of July we should really all bond together as neighbors and countrymen, and celebrate what we have here.”
Aside from wildfire risk, some in California see drones as more environmentally friendly than fireworks.
That includes the California Coastal Commission, which is tasked with protecting the state’s coast, marine life and more.
“Every show is analyzed on a case-by-case basis, but there has been direction from the commission to see a transition to drones,” Jeff Palm, an analyst with the California Coastal Commission, told the Los Angeles Times.
Illegal fireworks
The reality is that most of the issues from fireworks in the state come from illegal fireworks.
“If you stood on a hill in Los Angeles on either New Year’s or Fourth of July, you can see, without exaggeration, billions of fireworks going off, and pretty sizable ones,” Nordskog said.
So many illegal fireworks get shot off around LA during the Fourth of July it impacts the air quality.
Those fireworks are often brought in from places like Mexico, but also from nearby states like Nevada and Arizona.
“The fire agencies do sting operations and whatnot, but that’s like a drop in the bucket,” Nordskog said. “It’s literally impossible to enforce.”
Just last year, a fire that threatened many homes in the upscale area of Laguna Beach was started by a teenager shooting off illegal fireworks.
Professional shows rarely come with those same issues.
“Professional companies that are shooting those shows take all of that into account and consideration,” Houser said. “If there’s high wind, they’re not going to shoot the show. They’re going to follow a very specific set of rules, rules which are going to be laid out not only by NFPA guidelines for display fireworks shows, but also rules that could be enforced by the local authority having jurisdiction.”
Potential punishment
Punishment for using illegal fireworks in California can be severe, especially if it causes a major fire.
“California, for a really liberal state, has extraordinarily stiff arson, fireworks, and bomb punishments,” Nordskog said.
Charges can rise to arson depending on how severe the issue becomes.
Not only will the state be using drones to entertain people, but also to arrest those who break the law.
Several police departments plan to use drones to monitor people shooting off illegal fireworks.
“Fireworks anywhere near wildland vegetation is a disaster, but even in the towns, the cities, fireworks cause a lot of vegetation fires in palm trees and just vegetation that’s in a normal urban environment,” Nordskog said.
Cracking down on illegal fireworks is one of the ways to make the holiday celebration safer, but both experts Straight Arrow spoke with agreed that the big displays really aren’t the issue.
Most cities, towns and states across the country will still have large fireworks shows on the night of the Fourth of July, carrying on a tradition that’s been going on since 1777.
“There’s always going to be a place for fireworks,” Houser said.
Round out your reading
- America at 250: Straight Arrow’s week-long look at the pressures testing modern America.
- Ketamine is booming in America. The reasons go beyond drugs.
- Cluster of AI news sites suddenly goes dark after human reporter starts asking questions.
- A 79-year-old, obese, well-connected man gained exclusive access to a new weight loss drug. Is it Trump?
- Newsom pushes national wealth tax after opposing California billionaire tax.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
