By Kathy Chouteau
Getting ready for a loud cornucopia of colors to start exploding over Richmond? There’s nothing quite like the onslaught of illegal fireworks throughout our region around the Fourth of July—but thanks to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire), you’ll have a hotline where you can report the activity.
Residents of Richmond—and beyond in Contra Costa County—can report illegal fireworks to a toll-free hotline to immediately reach their local law enforcement to report illegal fireworks. The reporting number is: 1-833-885-2021.
By calling this line, residents will access a voice menu where they can “quickly reach the correct law enforcement number for their location by entering the first three letters of their city’s name,” according to Con Fire. What if you’re a resident of an unincorporated area? Have no fear—there’s even an option for that on the menu, which will connect callers to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.
As Con Fire spreads word about its illegal fireworks hotline, it’s also reminding people that the “Use of fireworks of any type is illegal in Contra Costa County and exceedingly dangerous during current heightened fire danger conditions.” Aside from reporting illegal fireworks to the aforementioned hotline, Con Fire’s Fire Investigation Unit also asks that people report fireworks sales to its Arson Tip Line at 1-866-50-ARSON.
The Arson Tip Line is where people can leave a recorded message in English and Spanish about fireworks sales, or other fire-related criminal activities. Con Fire said that tips can be anonymous, but all tips are treated confidentially. However, the fire investigators often require additional info, so inclusion of name and phone number is certainly appreciated.
According to Con Fire, it provides fire and emergency medical services to more than 770,000 residents in 12 cities and 11 unincorporated areas across a 557 square-mile jurisdiction. For more info, click here.
