Kern County’s Post

Transcript

Coming up on Around Kern County, we're less than a week away from the 4th of July. We're sharing safety tips from the Kern County Fire Department and how they're working to combat illegal fireworks. And this holiday can be especially stressful on our pets. What you can do to provide comfort and how to keep track of your 4 legged friends when Around Kern County starts now. Welcome to this week's Around Kern County. I'm your host, Ali Triolo. With 4th of July just a few days away, the Kern County Fire Department wants to make sure you and your loved ones celebrate safely. In most areas of our community, Legal, safe and sane fireworks go on sale July 1st. They can be purchased from a permitted fireworks booth and have on their packaging. The California State Fire Marshall Seal and will be labeled safe and sane. If you plan to purchase some of the fireworks and use them around your family and friends, here's what you need to know. Be sure to supervise children at all times around fireworks. Only adults should use them. Only use fireworks outside and never like them near dry grass or other flammable materials. Always read the directions and warnings on fireworks if it's not marked. With the contents, directions and a warning label, do not light it. Light fireworks one at a time and never modified. Point or throw them. Make sure to have a bucket of water and hose or fire extinguisher nearby. Do not dispose of fireworks until they're completely cool. And as always, in case of an emergency, please call 911. Another way you can help our community stay safe. This 4th of July is reporting the use of. Illegal fireworks First and foremost, we want to remind you do not call 911 unless it's an emergency. If you observe the sale, use or storage of illegal fireworks, please use the illegal fireworks reporter at kerncountyfire.org or on the my current app. KCFD joins us now to share what they're doing to keep us safe and manage illegal fireworks this holiday. What we're doing this year is similar to what we do each year. We increase our staffing at the call center in addition to increasing the staffing at our dispatch center. We'll have more personnel actually out on the streets of the county than we have in years past. We have our task force that we will usually work together each year with K, CSO, BPD, Bakersfield Fire Department, even some organizations, agencies outside of our area whenever we can. Another thing that we're doing is we're continuing to specifically monitor social media as well. So we have individuals that are tasked with. Just going through social media that Facebooks, the Craigslist, whatever they are trying to find those individuals that are selling illegal fireworks and then moving that information over to fire investigators task force so they can go and do buy busts. Another thing that we use, we started doing this in the last years is using actual unmanned aerial systems. And so through the use of these that fly thousands of feet in the air, we're able to pinpoint where the illegal fireworks are being used and then direct resources to those areas to go ahead and stop individuals from using the fireworks. We're sending them as a reminder. You can turn over illegal fireworks or legal fireworks year round to any Kern County fire station, no questions asked. Here's one last reminder from the Kern County Fire Department about how you can celebrate the upcoming holiday safely. Hi, I'm Andrew Freeborn with the Kern County Fire Department reminding you that fire danger is extremely high this year. Illegal fireworks can cause property damage and injured people and pets. So only use safe and sane fireworks. All fireworks are illegal in our mountain communities. If you use illegal fireworks, you will receive a citation and find start at $1500. Only call 911 for emergencies. If reporting illegal fireworks, do so at kerncountyfire.org on behalf of Kern County. Have a safe and legal 4th of July. And while most people look forward to the sights and sounds of the 4th of July, it can be difficult for some members of our community, especially our local veterans and other residents who may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder known as PTSD. From the loud noises of fireworks to the holiday marking an anniversary event, Independence Day. May invoke reminders of trauma and be up setting. The best thing you can do to support our veterans and other loved ones this time of year is to have compassion and understanding for what they may be feeling. You can opt out of fireworks altogether, set off silent fireworks, or simply ask what your friend or family member may need. You can find more resources by visiting our Veteran service website at kerncounty.com or Kern County Behavioral Health. And recovery services website at kernbhrs.org. And we're ending today with important information about how you can keep your pets safe this holiday, especially throughout the fireworks. Kern County Animal Services is helping our community get prepared for their pet safety ahead of the 4th of July festivities. While love fireworks can often upset your animals, our director of Animal Services says there's a few things you can do to keep them calm. You know, quiet is the best thing to do. So if you can find a place in your house that's quiet, give your pet some time and by themselves in a quiet place, playing some soft music or you know, television somewhere close by, that can drown out some of that noise in the background. Sometimes toys that they're familiar with, blankets that they're familiar with that have probably both your scent and your pup scent brings them some comfort. You know, there are some things that you can buy over the counter too. There's Thunder shirts. What they call them, it's brand. It's a, it's a type of vest that your pet wears. You'll also want to make sure your pets have identification tags with up-to-date information. If you have horses or other large breed animals, you may want to consider having a safety halter with your contact information and leaving it on your animals. If your pets aren't already microchipped, be sure to visit Kern County Animal Services at the address on your screen to receive a microchip. You'll also want to make sure your property is safe and secure. Check your fences, gates. And other passageways to ensure your pets will be kept safe when and if fireworks go off. If at all possible, it's a good idea to keep your pet indoors rather than outside. And just in case, take a current photo of all of your pets. For more information, you can visit animalserviceswebsite@kerncountyanimalservices.org or call the shelter at 661-868-7100. And that does it for us on This WEEK. Around Kern County, if you have a story you'd like to share, please visit kerncounty.com and fill out our submit history form. And don't forget to follow us on social media or download the My Current app. We'll see you right back here next time.