It’s Wednesday and the Red Phone is still plugged in, on line and waiting for comments on the state of affairs in San Benito County. Several callers have already developed a fondness for calling the Crimson Crusader with several messages left by the same callers over the last few weeks, but what about the rest of the county?
You have questions, Red Phone will find the answers. You have comments, Red Phone will hear those too. However, Red Phone will not print anonymous, personal assaults based on allegations, rumors or hear-say – save those for your letters to the editor. This week we took a call from a resident worried fireworks from local stands could really heat things up in San Benito.
Fired up against fireworks
Our caller couldn’t believe there were 12 fireworks stands in the city of Hollister.
“I saw how many fireworks booths there are in the newspaper today,” she said. “Twelve of them – it’s amazing. Yes, it’s good for the community in some ways because it raises money, but it is also costing a whole lot of money. Is everybody insured? What happens when a firework catches a field or rooftop on fire or a person on fire? And bottle-rockets – illegal! Who is paying for this? Is it the homeowner? I don’t know. I think we have to start rethinking this because it’s getting more and more dangerous with 12 places to buy plus the illegal places. There needs to be some sort of insurance policy.”
Fortunately, there is, according to Hollister’s Deputy City Clerk Geri Johnson. She said each of the 12 fireworks booths has to carry $1 million liability insurance policy to operate in the city, in addition to numerous other requirements such as keeping fire extinguishers in the booth and defined set back from other buildings.Thus far, there have been no claims, she said.
The opportunity to sell fireworks is reserved only for nonprofit groups located in San Benito County, and the number of booths is directly related to the population of the city, Johnson said.
Last year, there were 12 booths selling fireworks and there won’t be another one until Hollister grows by another 2,500 residents. When that happens, the city will hold a lottery for nonprofit groups to apply for a new booth.
“We operate under state Fire Marshall guidelines, and they can only sell ‘safe and sane’ fireworks,” Johnson said.
Good answer, but it only addressed the people who sell them, not those that use them. Red Phone called the Hollister Fire Department to see who would foot the bill if users caused a fire during their explosive escapades. A fire captain, who wouldn’t give his name, said the firefighters respond to all fire calls and are extra wary this time of year.
He said if a “safe and sane” firework caused a blaze, the department would respond for no charge to the responsible party. If an illegal firework sparked a fire, it could result in charges from the District Attorneys office and possibly a hefty bill from the fire department, at their discretion.
Red Phone says: If you buy fireworks, use common sense with them and if you own a home, buy fire insurance.
