[0:11] Welcome to BreaTalks. An insider's look into topics that affect your experiences in the city of Brea. Whether you live, work, or play here, we're bringing you the information you need to better understand your city.

[0:26] So now, we invite you to listen in as BreaTalks.

[0:38] Hello, and welcome. I'm Dan Sonstermaker and today at Braetox Summer Fire Safety Home Hardening and FireWorks.

[0:48] With me today, friend of the show, our Fire Martial from the Braet Fire Department and Nicole Pescarra.

[0:54] Nicole, great seeing you again. So great seeing you again, Dan. Thanks for having me on today.

[1:01] Of course, of course, later on, we're also going to be joined by Ryan Klug with the

[1:07] a police department. He's our drone pilot and we're going to talk a few

[1:12] about a few things regarding how drones play a role in our summer

[1:17] fire safety. But Nicole, last time you were on the show, it was for our episode

[1:23] wildfires and what to do. That was February of 2025. We had just witnessed the devastating

[1:28] wildfires in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County and we spoke a little bit about home

[1:32] hardening back then and I definitely want to revisit that today but I also want to touch

[1:37] on some, you know, best practices as it relates to summer, fire safety. And of course,

[1:41] the Fourth of July, which is brighter on the corner and talk about fireworks. So let's start

[1:47] with the season that is summer. There used to be a term, you know, fire season, right?

[1:54] But from what I understand that that's not really a thing now or certainly is defined a period as

[2:00] it used to be. That's absolutely correct. So years ago, we could generally point to a specific

[2:06] fire season, but today wildfire risk is something we monitor year-round. So drought conditions,

[2:12] low humidity, sin and winds, and changing climate patterns have extended the threat far beyond

[2:18] the traditional summer and fall months. So while summer is still going to bring that elevated

[2:22] fire danger, fire agency is now prepared and respond to the wildfire threats throughout the year.

[2:28] Sure, okay. I feel like summer is getting that way too. Sometimes summer feels like it's

[2:33] It's not a season anymore, but it's like, it's sometimes it feels like it gets you around.

[2:37] Oh yeah, certainly shifting, but the summer conditions are kind of what drive this fuel drive

[2:45] the level of the fire hazard, you know, elevates fire hazards in areas with the dry conditions and whatnot.

[2:53] Absolutely. Summer's going to bring in those hotter temperatures, lower humidity, and very dry vegetation.

[2:58] So like grasses, weeds, and brush are going to lose moisture, they're going to become much easier to ignite and then they're going to burn super fast

[3:05] It's going to take less heat, less time, and sometimes just a single spark to start a fire

[3:11] So that's why we encourage residents to be especially vigilant during the summer months

[3:15] Sure, and it happens quickly. I mean, it doesn't take long for this stuff to dry out

[3:19] It doesn't take very long for the summer the effects of summer to to take effects on on these

[3:25] on these areas. Correct. And if you, from familiar with that carbon fire that we just had,

[3:30] that was about 200-nate acres out in the Canyon area, we had very high moisture levels.

[3:36] There was some mist, there was some rains and drizzle, and we still had that fire moving because

[3:41] that ground feel was so dry already. So it's, it's crazy to see how fire can even behave in

[3:48] those conditions because I feel like that's not what they taught us in school. Sure, sure. It's

[3:52] interesting to see and but it's also scary because now we're seeing even if there's moisture

[3:57] out there things can still burn right absolutely okay so you know one sign that it is summer

[4:03] you know something that everybody can get behind barbecuing absolutely you know they're they're

[4:09] they're they're they're common they're fun and if done properly delicious properly if you

[4:15] Okay, no hockey pucks for hamburgers, you know what I mean?

[4:20] Yeah, let's keep them, you know, keep them moist, you know, but they should also be done with

[4:25] extreme caution and care. Definitely. So barbecues are a great way to enjoy summer,

[4:31] but they should always be safely. You want to keep the grills at least 10 feet away from your house

[4:37] or any kind of structure, patio cover, fencing, and anything that could possibly burn,

[4:42] anything combustible. Okay. So you never want to leave a grill unattended while cooking and you

[4:48] want to keep kids and pets away from the cooking area and you want to make sure grease trays are

[4:52] cleaned regularly. For the propane grills, you always want to check the hoses and connections for

[4:58] leaks before you actually use them and a little preparation would go a long way towards preventing

[5:03] that fire. So taking those little extra steps that's going to help you have a safe barbecue at your

[5:09] And hopefully delicious barbeque treats.

[5:11] And hopefully delicious.

[5:14] You know, just mention the grease trays and stuff like that.

[5:17] You know, if something were to go sideways and obviously water not not the best thing.

[5:25] Probably be prepared with something else.

[5:26] Other than water because water is going to spray that oil and grease everywhere else.

[5:31] Now you've got more stuff on fire.

[5:32] Correct.

[5:33] Water and grease are not friends.

[5:35] They're not pal's got them having baking soda. You could dump that on there. Okay. You turn off the heat

[5:40] Whatever it was causing that cooking so the heat the flame or even covering it trying to

[5:46] some other it to take the oxygen out of it. Okay, so even just something as simple as baking soda. That's good enough.

[5:51] So if you don't have a if you don't have a fire extinguisher, which you should readily available. Yeah, if you don't have one go get one

[5:58] But if you're barbecuing while listening to this don't leave your grill unattended to go get a fire extinguisher

[6:03] Maybe you just have somebody go get you some baking soda. So you have it on on hand to put something out in in case of an emergency

[6:10] Yes, you need a good amount for that

[6:12] But you know what's funny about these sorts of things that we do as I'll get a lot of phone calls later and be like, you know

[6:17] I never had a fire extinguisher and I'm like you're breaking my fire martial art

[6:23] But it's good to hear that you heard me and now you got one, but yes

[6:27] Go get your fire extinguisher. Absolutely. Absolutely

[6:31] Okay, let's step it up a notch

[6:34] campfires or fire pits. And then let's just break this down into the two. Let's talk about

[6:40] the campfires without no water. Personally, I'm not a camper. I wouldn't say that I'm not

[6:47] outdoorsy, but I definitely come nighttime. I get very indoorsy. So I'll be outdoors during the day

[6:54] and at night I won't camp. But I know that I'm definitely probably in the minority of that

[7:00] that there are plenty of campers listening that want to, you know, set a campfire or whatever,

[7:08] what can you tell us about that? Well, I'm with you. I'm probably a glamp or if anything.

[7:13] I'm very quirky about that kind of stuff. Sure. I have a bad back. I need a bad back.

[7:16] I need a bad back. Exactly. Exactly. So when it comes to camping, you've got to think like Smokey Bear.

[7:24] I mean, that's that's so important. First you always want to check whether campfires are active.

[7:30] We're actually allowed where you're camping, especially during this fire season a lot of times, they'll say, you know, red flag, red alert to hot, don't do it.

[7:39] Fire restrictions can actually change pretty quickly based on the conditions. You want to make sure that if you are doing the fire stuff that you're actually using a designated firing, if they have it, you want to keep your fire small and manageable, don't get crazy with it and don't leave it unattended.

[7:54] Yeah, this isn't burning man.

[7:56] That's true.

[7:57] Yeah, you're out there trying to beat the guy next to you,

[8:00] for who has the biggest campfire.

[8:01] That's not what this is about.

[8:03] Yes, you'd be surprised, but we have some neighbors that do that

[8:05] in their backyard.

[8:06] Oh.

[8:06] You have to show up.

[8:07] So that's another thing.

[8:09] Keep your house fires.

[8:10] It's sure they're under control.

[8:12] That got us.

[8:13] But before you leave, you want to completely

[8:15] extinguish that campfire with water.

[8:18] You want to stir the ashes.

[8:19] And you want to add more water until everything is cool to the touch.

[8:23] Many wildfires have actually started from these campfires that people thought were out, but actually you were still smoldering.

[8:30] Remember, it takes an ember, so.

[8:32] Sure. Sure, plenty of water on hand. Stir it. Make sure it's cool to the touch.

[8:37] What about beach fires? Beach bonfire? So I know that, you know, they're sand everywhere,

[8:43] which doesn't seem combustible. And there's an entire ocean, a couple hundred yards away,

[8:48] But people in property are still very much at risk if not done properly.

[8:53] That's right, Dan. So Beach Bonfire should only be built in approved

[8:57] firings and in locations where they're permitted. Even at the beach, when can carry those

[9:03] sparks and embers pretty far. So you never want to use pallets or any kind of tree that would.

[9:08] You want to keep that fire under control. I think crazy. Don't be throwing anything in there.

[9:12] And hopefully, extinguish it before you leave public safety is still the priority, remember that.

[9:19] So even if you have Sam there, there's still stuff that can burn. Of course.

[9:23] Be cognizant of that.

[9:24] And it does get relatively windy the beach, especially in the evening.

[9:27] Absolutely.

[9:28] I don't, I'll never understand if it's an onshore or an offshore.

[9:31] I don't know which direction.

[9:33] I know which way in the way the wind blowing, but I don't know what the proper terminology is.

[9:37] Meteorology is not a hobby of mine, but but it does, I do know that I bust out my sweatshirt.

[9:42] the beach at night does get breezy out there.

[9:45] So I'm with you.

[9:45] I'm really good at preventing fires, but anything else.

[9:50] That's not me.

[9:52] You've touched on it.

[9:54] I'm in it to go fire pits in your backyard.

[9:56] Woodburn and gas.

[9:57] Well, can you tell us about those?

[9:58] So backyard fire pits can be enjoyed if you're safely using them

[10:03] and you're using them properly.

[10:04] Like I said, we had some neighbors put in some stuff in there

[10:07] that they shouldn't have and they were getting too big, too unruly.

[10:10] So you want to make sure that you're following the manufacturers instructions for your fire pit.

[10:16] You want to keep that area around the pit clear of anything combustible and you don't want to leave it undetended either.

[10:24] So gas fire pits are what I typically recommend because they're cleaner and easier to control.

[10:29] And while in the wood burning fire pits, they can actually produce those spark and embers that create an additional fire risk.

[10:36] So, no matter what type you have, you want to have a hose nearby or an extinguisher or some kind of water source and also be mindful of windy conditions.

[10:46] And it's important to note, too, that if you live in a high fire severity zone, you're not really allowed to be burning.

[10:52] If the only thing that we typically see that we allow are like a gas either like the already plumbed gas line ones that they have or a gas because anything with woods going to have embers which could spark a wildfire.

[11:04] So definitely not in the high fire severity zones.

[11:07] Got it, okay.

[11:08] And we definitely, we have a place where you can see

[11:10] where if you are within a high fire,

[11:12] this is a very, is what we're gonna talk about.

[11:14] This map a little bit later on in the program.

[11:16] But definitely recognize where you are within that map

[11:23] and fire your backyard accordingly.

[11:27] Or not, not fire at all, exactly, exactly.

[11:32] Okay, so shifting away from actual open flames,

[11:35] There is one other particular fire risk over the summer that people don't think about.

[11:42] And that is the home's electrical system or infrastructure, especially as it relates to air-conditioning units.

[11:48] That is something that should definitely be considered going into the summer months with the high usage of AC units.

[11:57] That's a great point, Dan. It's like you've done this before.

[11:59] You know what? I have a lot of, a lot of, a lot of, a lot of, a lot of friends in the

[12:04] Brake Firefront, a lot of friends. So you're correct. During hot weather, air conditioning

[12:09] systems are going to run longer and they're going to draw more power. So if a home's electrical

[12:14] system is outdated or it's overloaded, that can increase a risk of fire, you want to watch

[12:20] for warning signs, like the flickering lights, warm outlets, trip breakers, or any unusual

[12:25] odors. Even your pets are actually really in tune to this before humans are if you

[12:30] believe it. So if you see them act in funny, it could be your electrical. So

[12:33] definitely take a little walk around and look at stuff. I avoid pet. I avoid having pets,

[12:38] so maybe I should go get myself pet. There you go, just get one little alert to fire.

[12:42] There you go. There you go. There you go. They can also start fires too. I've had some fires.

[12:46] I've investigated. So let's give him a take. So let's take a take. Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it.

[12:51] Okay, well, I have to balance that. I don't think my kid, I don't think my kid is going to want to spend too much time balancing it.

[12:58] I know where his vote is.

[13:00] It's a lot of work, Kevin, a pet.

[13:02] As far as like all this, all these circuits and I think does the city offer inspection

[13:08] to see where the house stands and where it's electrical.

[13:11] Is that something that we offer or any tips or where how people can survey their own

[13:17] electrical infrastructure to know if it's safe or not for maybe, you know, their AC unit.

[13:24] So, we do not. We can obviously give recommendations, plugging anything high powered directly into

[13:31] an outlet. You don't want to be using any sort of extension cords or power strips for anything that's

[13:37] going to pull a lot of power. So, like a refrigerator, microwave, stuff like that should be directly

[13:42] into an outlet. Okay. Okay. And we see a lot of stuff called like daisy chaining at

[13:48] people's homes. So it's like an extension cord to an extension cord or extension cord.

[13:52] Sure. Power strip. If I look around, there's probably some of that in here, Dan.

[13:57] I'm going to write you a note after this. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Yeah.

[14:01] Let's say on top of it here. As you mentioned, all these things that I'm looking around.

[14:06] Oh, where have I seen that? All right. We'll take care of that right after this.

[14:09] So we do offer home hazard assessments for high fire severity zones, and we could talk about that later, but that's more for the exterior of the home.

[14:18] But inside that is just something just use your best judgment. If it's funny, if your your cords are afraid, torn, anything like that,

[14:27] the ED should swap them out, get new ones, don't run any underrugs, they can get more and out that way as well.

[14:33] So just take a look around and see what you can see what you can find because I am sure every house has an extension cord or power strip, both plugged into each other somehow, so.

[14:43] Yes, okay, so everything should be nice neat, clean, new-ish, and in good standing order.

[14:48] And if you want to be an over-achiever, after you use your appliances, unplug them. Let me tell you that I get a lot of grief from my boyfriend because I'll make some toast or something.

[15:23] We've been careful with our backyard fire pits. We've been careful with all of the

[15:29] I'm plugged our toasters.

[15:32] We've done everything right to avoid a fire,

[15:36] but our neighbor has not been so careful.

[15:40] So before they make their mistake,

[15:42] we should still be playing defense with what we call home hardening.

[15:46] And there's a lot you can do.

[15:49] So let's start with the perimeter of the property

[15:52] and move our way towards the structure.

[15:54] Okay, so there is a difference between home hardening

[15:57] defenseable space. But to be most effective, you need both of them. So I'm going to speak

[16:02] about both, and I'm sure we'll touch upon this more and more as we go into this. But one of

[16:08] the most important things homeowners can do is maintain defenseable space. So that means that

[16:13] removing any dead vegetation, clearing weeds, trimming brush, and reducing combustible materials

[16:19] around your property is going to be the best defense you can have. So in Brea, our weed

[16:25] statement and brush clearance are just good ideas. They're going to be critical for prevention

[16:30] of a fire and also we're going out there and we're enforcing it. So you're going to get a nasty

[16:36] gram if you don't. We're good idea. We'll let you know. It's not. Yeah. Absolutely. So the goal is to

[16:45] reduce that available fuel so that if a fire starts nearby, it has less opportunity to spread towards

[16:51] house. Sure. So in regards to that home hardening, there's a list of low cost items. You can do

[16:57] your home to help protect it in the event of a wildfire. We're going to link it for you. There's a

[17:03] calfire link on the website that has great low cost retrofit lists that's going to have class-a-rated

[17:11] roof suggestions and burn flame-resistant vents. Non-combustible gutter covers just to name a few

[17:17] It's pretty intense list, but home hardening is what we're seeing is that other essential component that can really help your house stay standing in a bit of a wildfire.

[17:30] You know, approaching the house or ADU or condo restructure, there's something out there that's in the works, something called zone zero. What is zone zero?

[17:41] So zone zero actually refers to the first five feet immediately surrounding your home.

[17:46] Got it. So research has shown that this is the area that's one of the most important zones for preventing homes from igniting during a wildfire.

[17:56] So the concept is pretty simple. Eliminate combustibles closest to the building.

[18:01] And that means avoiding things like wood mulch, stacked firewood, which is a common thing we see, especially in the wintertime,

[18:08] But our owners here aren't super cold,

[18:10] so it's still spicy season.

[18:12] Combustible patio furniture.

[18:14] That's a big one, and dense vegetation.

[18:16] That's right against the structure.

[18:19] So the idea is to create a non-combustible buffer

[18:22] that's gonna reduce the chance of embers

[18:24] igniting your home.

[18:26] We're actually still awaiting official direction

[18:29] from the state on how to enforce this,

[18:31] but it is sounding like it will be retroactively

[18:34] required in the very high fire severity zone.

[18:36] Okay. So as we get more information on it, we're going to be pushing out educational media and I'm sure I'll be asking for your help them and I'm ready.

[18:46] I'm ready. I don't talk about extension cords or any kind of search projector and I'm there.

[18:52] Fantastic. And we're also going to be pushing out notifications to help everyone understand what this means for them and what's going to happen to how we're going to regulate and enforce at their house.

[19:03] got it, got it. You mentioned stuff like a mealy up to touching the house like that's like

[19:10] not, but not just a vegetative fencing, wood fencing, you know, you know, fencing that separates

[19:16] your front yard from your backyard, but but threat up to the house, wood sighting, wood paneling.

[19:21] Yes. That sort of thing. And then roofs and vents, you mentioned those also. What else can

[19:26] you tell us about about those particular aspects and how it's important to address those.

[19:33] So, I have a lot of friends that fought at the Palacades Fire in LA, and they all told me the same thing that when it turned into a

[19:41] conflagration, so that means structure to structure.

[19:44] With they saw the embers going into the vents, and it caught the addicts on fire, and that was the common way all these

[19:50] homes started to catch fire.

[19:52] So, if there's one thing you do in the home hardening thing that's cost effective, it's putting the

[19:58] So, all the roofs, the venting, the fencing and the sighting are always embers can find their way into your home.

[20:08] So, a class-a-fiorated roofing materials will provide the best protection on the roof.

[20:13] So, any sort of firebrands going on the roof are not going to be able to ignite as long as you don't have any pine needles or any other kinds of dried plants or leaves on top.

[20:24] Then should be the ember resistant or screened appropriately, that's going to keep the burning embers out of your attic and your crawl spaces would fencing that directly connect to the home can actually act like a fuse during a wildfire.

[20:37] Believe it.

[20:39] So non-combustible materials near that structure are preferable. They say at least 10 feet connected to the house out at least probably more if you can.

[20:48] And then for siding, anything ignition could resistant or non-combustible is going to provide better protection.

[20:56] Got it.

[20:57] Then like anything traditional wood paneling.

[21:00] The vents you had mentioned, you used a term.

[21:06] Complication?

[21:07] No.

[21:07] Ember resistant?

[21:08] Ember resistant.

[21:09] Okay, so there's just just any old vent or screen isn't necessarily good enough.

[21:15] Where can they find ember resistant vents?

[21:17] You actually there's different levels. You can actually get stuff at home depot. Oh, it meets the required. Oh, really, okay. Yes, and you could do it yourself or get a handyman to do it

[21:26] So it's actually relatively cost-effective to do

[21:29] There are fancier ones that do cost a little bit more that have like the state certification and seal and the biggest thing is making sure it's 1-8th to 1-16th

[21:38] It but my understanding is with the 1-16th it really affects air flow, which can cause even other problems with the home

[21:45] So, one eighth inch is okay, and that's the, is that the space between, so that's not the gauge of metal thickness, that's the space between the, um, each square.

[21:58] Yes, that's okay.

[21:58] Okay, I see, I see.

[22:01] All right, and Home Depot, and just, it would say it.

[22:03] Yeah, you would just look for something that kind of meets the specifics of that.

[22:07] Yeah.

[22:08] Okay, good to know.

[22:10] That is a ton of stuff and I appreciate it. I learned a lot here today, clearly.

[22:17] I have worked to do it myself. Thank you.

[22:21] No problem. Happy to inform you.

[22:24] And I'm interested in the prayer instance.

[22:30] Last part of a discussion, fireworks. And this is the year to talk about it because America's turning 250 years old, and everybody's excited. If I were turning 250 years old, I'd want a party too.

[22:44] Okay. I mean, could you, though? I mean, I don't know. I don't think it's left it.

[22:48] But it's super important to understand that Breit is not the place for fireworks. They are illegal here, and it's not because we're no fun

[22:59] There's a very good reason why they're illegal in Breit. Tell us why fireworks in Breit are illegal and a terrible terrible idea

[23:08] Yeah, I mean first and foremost fireworks are dangerous everywhere not even in Breit everywhere. Sure. Every year they cause thousands of injuries

[23:16] fires and emergency room visits across the country and believe me. Some of the advertising campaigns

[23:22] they show of people's mangled hands and whatnot and the horror stories you hear about firework

[23:27] hitting a kid in the face and they're now blind and stuff. It's real. It's out there and it's concerning

[23:33] just in that that right. But in Braha there's an added concern. So almost 50% of Braha is located

[23:42] within or adjacent to a high fire severity zone and so combined dry vegetation, the summer weather

[23:51] conditions, a single firework can quickly ignite a brush fire that's going to threaten homes,

[23:57] businesses, as well as lives. So fireworks can seem harmless for a few moments of entertainment

[24:03] and they look cool, but the consequences can be devastating and long lasting and if you do end

[24:09] lighting a fire because of a firework. You're facing very very big fines in jail time

[24:16] because there's a lot of enhancements and when it's in a high fire so there

[24:20] is on it. Considered reckless. Sure. Got it. Are you so in a minute, as I mentioned,

[24:26] we're going to hear from Officer Klug and the Brave Police Department on the fines

[24:29] associated with firework violations and how we're enforcing these no firework laws.

[24:34] But I just want to be clear, aside from being outright dangerous to individuals around

[24:39] them, all the brush and the hills, the trees throughout the city, everything that makes us

[24:44] a high-fired severity zone, throughout the city primed by those summer conditions we spoke

[24:50] about at the top of the show, have literally put Bray on the map, and not in a great way,

[24:55] but as a risky place to mess around with things like fireworks, and therefore Bray has deemed

[25:00] them illegal.

[25:02] That's exactly right, Dan.

[25:03] So fireworks and wildfire prone communities are simply not a good combo.

[25:07] And the conditions that make Bray as such a beautiful place to live, our hillsides, our open spaces and natural vegetation are also going to increase that wildfire risk.

[25:18] So that's why fireworks are not allowed in the city of Bray.

[25:22] The safest way to celebrate is to attend a professional fireworks show and leave the pyrotechnics to the train experts.

[25:28] I'm not sure a Fullerton Zoo in this year, but I believe they have a show every year and they're right next door.

[25:32] So yeah, I mean, I know, you're willing to have a great show, um, they're all over the place.

[25:39] Certainly go out and have a good time. Yeah, safely. Yeah, safely and safely and

[25:45] and you know, fireworks and brand, not even the safe and same ones that you could buy

[25:48] in the surrounding cities at the little booths. Right. Those are not allowed and

[25:53] break it either. Sparklers. Sparklers. No, boy. No, boy. No. So definitely any of

[25:59] Those can still cause a fire, and we don't want that here, so thank those elsewhere.

[26:05] Certainly not.

[26:06] Nicole, thank you so much for coming on today.

[26:09] That was, as I said, a ton of information, super informative, and I look forward

[26:13] to the next time that we chat.

[26:15] Looking forward to it.

[26:16] Thanks for having me on.

[26:17] Yeah, the best.

[26:20] Next I sat down with Braia Police Department's aerial support officer, Ryan Klug,

[26:25] to talk about Brea PDs role in keeping Brea firework free. Officer Clark, thank you so much for coming on the show today.

[26:36] Oh, I'm happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

[26:38] You are the aerial support officer. Brea is Brea PD's eyes in the sky.

[26:44] That is correct. Yeah, I've been doing it for about a year now.

[26:47] And tell us exactly what your job entails.

[26:51] Well, I'll say if 16-year-old me knew what I was doing right now, I'd be losing it as mine

[26:57] Because it feels on face value a lot like playing a video game for work, but obviously it's a lot more than that

[27:05] So you're go we went live with our drone as a first responder program would essentially

[27:10] Really big drones on the roof of our civic center right here centrally located in the city and we essentially use those like a police airship

[27:18] So anytime we get calls for service, we can launch that in response like a head of officers on the ground

[27:25] Be able to get eyes on what the situation is get better information about what's going on and kind of be like a like you said I in the sky

[27:33] So they know what they're walking into a hundred percent and it's been

[27:36] It's been awesome in a bunch of different ways

[27:38] It's very much what we keep on a force multiplier just makes us way better. It will already kind of good at doing

[27:44] That's kind of like a fraction of the cost of like an in a police helicopter. Of course, of course. And if you guys listening follow

[27:51] Bray PD on Instagram, you see these success stories. You know, we were just talking a couple of minutes ago before we went

[28:00] On air that, you know, you could be you could pump out at least once a week.

[28:06] Let's just a story that you guys have from from your drone as a first responding program.

[28:11] Yeah, we're definitely trying to put out of people really like seeing a lot of the wins with it

[28:16] Because it's essentially a camera in the sky. So it's kind of like a good way to also show all the cool stuff our cops do

[28:22] Sure, so we're trying to put it out more in a great a lot more of that into like our social media

[28:28] So awesome. It's been awesome. Yeah, awesome. Well shifting gears into this particular episode

[28:33] And what we're talking about we're talking about summer fire safety

[28:36] And though you aren't the fire department, your brethren, the fire department counts on you to help enforce these no firework laws.

[28:51] Oh, yeah, here in this video.

[28:52] This, I will definitely say this year in comparison to, let's see, I've been at Braille

[28:59] for about seven years now.

[29:00] This is probably the driest and the highest amount of legitimate fire calls that even

[29:07] just me on the PD side of things has kind of seen sparking up since the beginning of the

[29:11] year, really.

[29:13] House fires, obviously we just had the carbon canyon kind of spark up a couple weeks ago

[29:20] between Braya Fire and OCFA and Cal Fire,

[29:24] like they're super on it, which is awesome.

[29:27] But we definitely see around this time of year,

[29:30] things start getting sparked up a lot more

[29:32] just between the dry season and then also the fact

[29:35] that we have fireworks getting distributed now.

[29:39] Right, right, it didn't hand it out at neighboring cities

[29:42] where they are legal, but they aren't necessarily

[29:46] in the fire severity zones that we are in.

[29:48] Um, so, so risk. Yes, absolutely. Um, okay. So let's talk about real quick. Finds.

[29:57] Yeah. What, what, what, what, what, what, what, what are people looking at?

[30:00] On out if they break the line. It's big. So the way it's real simple, the way they break it down, find wise is first offense is $500.

[30:11] Second offense and every subsequent offense after that is a thousand. And when I say subsequent, that's not just per day or per incident, that's per firework.

[30:22] Wow, so you can imagine that you can rack up some pretty serious fines. Sure if you're launching off

[30:28] 10 20 mortars at once

[30:31] That that that that's thousands of dollars. 10 to 20. Okay. Yeah, it's it's it's for a good reason. It's it's serious like you said we're on the edge of the county. We have all the braids, which are just unfortunately just by nature a tender box. Sure

[30:48] Um, we, I don't know if you remember, but, um, we had last year the day before 4th of July that fire off the freeway right by the high school, that almost, uh, I do remember a little bit of the high school and it's that that that just kind of speaking to how serious it can be because we don't want to we don't want to see any of that.

[31:08] Uh, right. No absolutely. Absolutely. Um, let's talk about process.

[31:14] So, somebody breaks the law, fights a firework, and you're there.

[31:22] This is what we're doing.

[31:23] We're using the drone to get out there, to catch these offenses.

[31:30] So, we actually did this last year too.

[31:33] That was kind of like our pilot, like our training year, really good success.

[31:39] Help that a lot, not just in handling calls for service, because you can imagine our phone

[31:44] blinds blow up on for the July, but also helps with actually being able to enforce it prior

[31:50] to the drone, the DFR. I mean, it's pretty chaotic. I've worked a couple of those special

[31:57] details. We intentionally staff extra officers just for firework enforcement because we

[32:03] know it's going to be an issue. Our our call screen gets absolutely loaded up with people

[32:09] reporting, which is great because people are being proactive about like, yeah, they have to

[32:13] you guys out there.

[32:15] 100% because we can't be everywhere at once, right?

[32:17] So that helps us a lot.

[32:19] However, what ends up happening is,

[32:21] because we, and in data with calls,

[32:23] most of the time by the time an officer

[32:24] can get out to that location,

[32:27] whoever is reported or wherever the location is that they're

[32:29] reporting that they're usually either done,

[32:32] or they've gone back inside, or, you know,

[32:34] they're not launching fireworks anymore.

[32:36] It's usually in valleys of some kind.

[32:39] Sure.

[32:39] So that's where the drone comes in

[32:42] where we can we're able to almost in real time fly drone out there, see it actively being launched into the sky,

[32:49] see where it's coming from and then whether it's still going on or not by the time an officer gets there,

[32:54] they can make contact with whoever is setting those off.

[32:58] I see. I see.

[33:01] It's a nighttime, obviously, and people are usually doing this.

[33:04] Drunk's down has lights, but it is harder to see, so you can get out there and you can out there quickly,

[33:09] And you're in the air and they may not even know it.

[33:13] Yeah, absolutely.

[33:14] I mean, there's a lot of lights popping off in the skies during Fourth of July, so.

[33:19] And these things, I mean, these drones have some pretty good camera payloads on them.

[33:26] We're even able to utilize like the thermal cameras on them to see the heat signature like

[33:32] glowing from the tubes of the, especially the mortar ones.

[33:37] So it's all stuff that we can use to kind of leverage to nail down exactly where it came

[33:42] from.

[33:43] Fantastic.

[33:45] Bray is typically on the cutting edge of technology, especially in the police department.

[33:51] But there's other cities that have had success with this type of enforcement.

[33:57] Tell us a little bit about the success stories that you've heard of other cities doing this.

[34:01] This is certainly not a new thing.

[34:04] Yeah, now this this is across especially this year. Now that drone is a first responder

[34:10] programs are popping up everywhere, especially in Orange County. Every agency that has one

[34:16] is going to be using them foreign forcements kind of becoming status quo because of how much

[34:21] more successful it is and actually enforcement action. The ones that kind of pioneered it are going

[34:27] be a tulivista, PD, down south by San Diego, they're one of the, they've had runs for

[34:36] probably closer to decade now and they have a lot of success stories in their applications

[34:41] for fire enforcement, so much so that even their public knows like, hey, this is going on

[34:47] and just the fact that they have a drone program is in and of itself a deterrent.

[34:51] Sure, that's great thing to have. Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. Well, hey, good luck.

[34:58] You know, I hope I hope you don't have to I hope you don't have to catch anybody. I don't. I hope so too

[35:03] I hope that the skies are clear. Yeah, both you and the fireworks

[35:08] And and everybody can just enjoy

[35:12] America 250 safely and leave it to the professionals. Yeah, absolutely and I'd encourage yeah anyone

[35:19] Anyone please feel free to call in that's that's what we

[35:24] That's how we direct our officers. They're out driving around obviously, but

[35:27] The more we can get an idea of where people are seeing them coming from the more we can kind of focus on our efforts in certain areas

[35:35] So yeah, awesome officer. Thank you so much for coming on. I appreciate it. I appreciate it

[35:41] I'll get you on next time. We'll we'll talk a little more. We'll geek out just from one drone pilot to another

[35:46] Oh, absolutely we could go a little bit more long for yeah, maybe like a three-part

[35:51] Yeah, like a three-part series on

[35:53] Yeah, I'm looking forward to okay cool. All right. Thank you, sir. You're welcome

[35:57] So there you have it folks, that's Brea Fire Department, Fire Marshall, Nicole Piscara, and Brea Police Department,

[36:06] Aerial Support Officer Ryan Klug, weighing in on Brea Summer Fire Safety.

[36:13] That's it for this episode of Brea Talks, this episode in all episodes of Brea Talks can be heard wherever you get your podcast, as well as on,

[36:23] Bray a TV and our Bray a TV app.

[36:27] Don't forget to follow, like, subscribe, rate and review, and we'll see you next time.

[36:33] Thanks again for listening in.

[36:35] As Bray a toast.

Brea Talks Summer Fire Safety, Home Hardening & Fireworks

Transcript