Escondido city officials are asking people to refrain from lighting illegal fireworks on New Year's Eve because of safety concerns and resident complaints.
The city teamed up with the nonprofit Escondido Fire Safe Council to spread the word about Escondido's zero-tolerance policy on consumer fireworks, which are illegal throughout San Diego County.
While fireworks may look pretty and professional shows are a colorful part of major celebrations, for many dog owners, they are a nuisance.
“Our dog is going crazy,” Doris Spies said.
Spies, who has lived in Escondido for eight years and is a member of the fire council, said the problem has gotten out of hand in recent years.
“July Fourth is really July week. And so it goes on and on and on," Spies said. "And New Year's Eve is every hour until about three in the morning. So we don't even get sleep on those holidays. We don't look forward to those holidays anymore.”
Spies is also part of the Facebook group, Escondido Fights Illegal Fireworks. In the group's informal survey of about 3,000 Escondido residents, 75% said they were disturbed by fireworks.
Denise Rolen, Fire Safe Council's CEO, said it’s not a problem just for dog owners. She’s got testimonies from residents throughout the city.
“There's Nicholas, a U.S. Army veteran who experiences PTSD, flashbacks and panic attacks triggered by the fireworks,” she said, reading the testimonies she received.
That’s why the council is working with the city to spread the word. Escondido has produced several videos featuring city leaders telling residents that fireworks are dangerous and illegal.
The fire council, for its part, has produced a map showing the problem was concentrated in the eastern part of the city.
“So if the city were able to take drones and fly it over these concentrated areas, they probably be able to catch these people and stop it,” Rolen said.
In a statement, city spokesperson Mike Thorne said more police officers will be deployed this New Year’s Eve in "an attempt to identify violators and enforce the municipal code."
"The police department responds to calls for service from the community or through direct officer observation of illegal fireworks," Thorne said in the statement. "If someone sees illegal fireworks being used, please call the police department's nonemergency number and report the exact address, and description of the person(s) using the fireworks."
The Escondido Police Department nonemergency number is (760) 839-4722. The fine for first-time offenders is $100, and it increases to $500 for serious offenders.
But Heather Middleton, who started the Facebook group, Escondido Fights Illegal Fireworks, a year ago, said the fines are hardly a deterrent.
"They're laughing at the fines, they're laughing at all this," she said of people who light illegal fireworks. "They're just like, 'You know, whatever, they're not gonna catch us, we're just gonna do what we want.'"
Middleton said she started the group to spread awareness because she was tired of having to calm her dogs down every time fireworks went off.
"I really hope that people will be considerate and care (about) the effect they're having, but the issue is they don't seem to care," she said.
Now that the issue has caught the attention of City Hall, Rolen hopes the city will ramp up enforcement after the new year so it won't be an ongoing issue.
Meanwhile, Middleton, Rolen and Spies all say this New Year’s Eve, instead of celebrating, they will be home tending to and medicating their dogs because of the fireworks.
