Fireworks rules for Medford

Legal fireworks allowed between July 1st and July 6th.

Our region right now.

With the warm, dry weather in the forecast, fire crews are asking people to extremely cautious.

Tomorrow is the first day that fireworks be allowed in the city of medford.

Of course, there are still some rules and restrictions joining us now is lieutenant trevor arnold with the medford police department.

Thanks very much for being with us.

Thank you, brian.

So tell us a little bit about what some of the restrictions are and what people should know about letting out those fireworks this year.

Well, i mean, it's 4th of july always comes during fire season.

Susan is no different, so it's really dry out there.

Um, the goal is to help prevent some, some big, massive fires throughout the city.

So, uh, we ask that if people stay, they use the legal ones that are not going to burn out of control or shoot off into the air and they do it safely and in safe areas.

So meaning avoiding the wildlife, a wildfire hazard, this area east of foothills road.

No.

I know that there have been some changes in the fines available this year for folks who might be, uh, perhaps trying to push the rules on that.

What, what are some of the negative ramifications getting caught with something that you shouldn't be setting off?

It actually changed last year.

Um, but the fine amount for the use of illegal fireworks within the city of medford was raised to $2,500 for the violation.

Still considered a violation, not a crime, but it's a pretty hefty fine too.

Discourage people from using those illegal fireworks, which are the ones that, again, shoot off into the air burn out of control more than 10 feet into the air.

Will the police department be putting extra patrols out there?

And if you see something that is illegal, what do you recommend people do?

We are, we're going to have extra officers.

We're going to have officers teamed up with a deputy fire marshals from the medford fire rescue department.

There'll be out working extra hours, extra people on the 4th of july, responding to related to fireworks.

So if you see something like that happening in your neighborhood, and it's definitely a dangerous situation and you think it may be an illegal situation, uh, definitely call the non-emergency police phone number, unless it's an emergency where you dial nine one one.

When you say someone is, is that when the fine gets instituted, is that someone who has actually fired off a firework or if you are just in possession of an illegal firework, is that the same infraction?

Nope.

It's not for possession.

It's for actually the use and setting them off.

So there are a lot of people who.

From out of state or from other places where maybe legal and bring them into the city.

That's not what we're going after.

We're going after the actual dangerous ones where people are setting them off in dangerous situations and what's the timeframe.

People will be allowed to use those fireworks.

The legal ones.

Obviously the legal ones are allowed to be used between july 1st