BE CAREFUL OUT THERE EVEN 'SANE' FIREWORKS POSE RISKS, OFFICIALS SAY.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer PALMDALE - For the second consecutive Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. , city and county officials promised a crackdown on illegal fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to . Residents can help guide additional patrols over the holiday weekend by reporting neighborhoods where illegal fireworks are used each year through a city telephone hotline and a link on the city Web site. ``We are all working together to convey a message of zero tolerance The policy of applying laws or penalties to even minor infringements of a code in order to reinforce its overall importance and enhance deterrence. Since the 1980s the phrase zero tolerance has signified a philosophy toward illegal conduct that favors strict imposition of for the use of illegal fireworks in the city of Palmdale,'' said Anne Ambrose, the city's public safety administrator. Fireworks task force officials highlighted their efforts in a press conference Monday, the morning after a Lancaster man blew off seven fingers while holding an illegal firework. The man was holding an aerial mortar shell that he apparently thought would emit sparks and didn't know would explode, Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La spokesman Mike McCormick Mike McCormick can refer to different people:
City public-safety and code-enforcement staffers will work with sheriff's patrols and personnel from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Fireworks that shoot into the air or explode are illegal everywhere in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley . Palmdale, in some areas, and Kern County allow sale and restricted use of fireworks on the state fire marshal's ``safe and sane'' list. These may be used only on private property, not in parks or other public places. In Palmdale, they also are prohibited even on private property in foothill areas, including the new Anaverde master-plan community and mostly undeveloped area south of the California Aqueduct The California Aqueduct is a 444 mile (715 km)-long[1] aqueduct in the United States that carries water from Northern California to Southern California. . Fire danger is especially high in the foothills, the Fire Department's McCormick noted. No fireworks at all are legal in the unincorporated areas In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality. To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, i.e., a city or town with its own government. of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County or in the city of Lancaster The City of Lancaster (2002 population: 133,914) is a local government district with city status in Lancashire, England. Its main town is Lancaster, from which it obtained its city status. Other towns in the district include Morecambe, Heysham, Slyne, and Carnforth. . Palmdale's fireworks telephone hotline is (661) 267-5139 and its Internet link is at www.cityofpalmdale.org. Reports made to the city hotline and Web site will lead to more patrols in a neighborhood but no immediate enforcement response, Ambrose said. ``They aren't going to generate a response right away,'' Ambrose said. ``They are for us to gather information to help direct our enforcement efforts.'' To report fireworks being used, call the Palmdale sheriff's station at (661) 267-4300. In Lancaster, people can report fireworks to the Lancaster sheriff's station at (661) 948-8466. Possession of any amount of illegal fireworks over the size of an M-80 explosive can be prosecuted as a felony, which is punishable by a state prison term, officials said. Altering ``safe and sane'' fireworks can also be prosecuted as a felony, sheriff's officials said. Palmdale officials are conducting a public-information campaign on fireworks. A show ran on Channel 27 on Adelphia about the dangers of fireworks this past weekend and will be broadcast repeatedly this coming weekend. City officials also mailed a newsletter, containing an article about firework dangers, to Palmdale residents. City officials are urging residents to avoid use even of legal fireworks and instead attend the free fireworks show at Palmdale High School's Riewer Field on the Fourth of July. Gates will open at 6:30 p.m.. Entertainment will begin at 7:30, and the fireworks display will start abou 9 p.m. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Gary Talley Gary Talley (17 August 1947 Memphis, Tennessee) is a best known as the lead guitarist and founder of the Box Tops. He is currently a teacher at Music and Arts Center in Nashville. External links
(3) A Kiwanis Club volunteer stocks fireworks for sale in Palmdale, where they may be legally used in some areas. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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