Crescent City Fire Chief Kevin Carey said his department will be the eyes for law enforcement as the community seeks to curtail illegal fireworks this Fourth of July. Speaking to the City Council via Zoom on Monday, Carey said he expects to have 25 volunteers and five of his battalion chiefs on duty. The fire department will divide its efforts into north, central and south divisions and plan with the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, Crescent City Police Department and Del Norte Ambulance in case there are any large emergencies. “We will be out and about doing patrols and following up on reports and smoke incidents,” Carey said. “And we’ll be reporting that to the PD and deputies as we need to do so we can produce a more safe Fourth of July in our area.” Carey and Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin gave a rundown of what people can expect during one of the community’s biggest bashes of the year. The official festivities start with the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce Deck Party on July 3 and continues with the parade in the downtown area, as well as the festival and fireworks display at Beachfront Park, on July 4. Wanting to avoid a repeat of last year’s mass casualty incident on South Beach that sent 14 people to the hospital, the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office has been set up as a depository for the community to turn in any kind of illegal fireworks, Carey said. “They can walk into the lobby [at 650 Fifth Street] and notify someone at the front that they have fireworks to turn in, and then they can go back to their car and a deputy will come out and assist them with taking those, no questions asked,” he said. “No fines or anything like that are involved.” Griffin said if his officers catch anyone with illegal fireworks, they could be cited and fined for having them. Within the city limits, fines for having illegal fireworks, selling or displaying them could be up to $1,000. “We’re working with the sheriff,” Griffin said. “The sheriff’s got his own incident action plan for his command base, which is going to be in the harbor area. He’s working with CHP and Fish and Wildlife, all the state agencies, to patrol that area and work on issues with overnight camping on South Beach.” In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office urged people to call (707) 464-0854 on July 3 and 4 to report illegal fireworks. In a May 20 article, Sheriff Garrett Scott told Redwood Voice Community News that there are increased administrative fines and penalties within the county for the sale, possession and use of mortars, sky rockets and other unsafe pyrotechnics. But those who flout the state law that the city and county ordinances are modeled on could face misdemeanor or felony charges. Scott said he plans to come down heavy on those who would test the community’s resolve against illegal fireworks. “This time we’re trying to make an impact and make this community safe,” Scott told Redwood Voice. “And so this year, we’re not going to be giving a lot of breaks.” On Monday, Griffin said his department doubles its staffing plan during the holiday. “All the officers know when they get hired — it’s part of our hiring process now — that you understand you do not have the Fourth of July off,” he said. “We all double it up including myself, I’ll be working both days for a lot of hours.” On a lighter note, Crescent City Fire & Rescue will be celebrating its 125th anniversary as a volunteer fire department on Independence Day. “We’re going to be present at the Deck Party,” he said. “We’re going to have a booth and some historical individuals, historical things set up. So we encourage the public, all of you, to stop by and celebrate with us.”