Salinas outlines 2026 fireworks enforcement plan: drones, outreach and $1,500-per-fuse citations

Chris Knapp, division chief and fire marshal, presented the Salinas Fire and Police Departments' 2026 fireworks enforcement plan at the April 7 council meeting.

Knapp described a multi-department fireworks task force that pairs police or fire personnel with other city staff to patrol neighborhoods, gather photo and video evidence and generate administrative citations that are mailed to identified property owners. The city will deploy multilingual signs at 17 locations beginning June 1, distribute printed materials at safe-and-sane booths and share information through press releases and local radio and television partners. The city also will accept tips and uploads through the SalinasConnect app.

Knapp said the enforcement effort is augmented by drone teams coordinated between fire and police to locate illegal activity and tie observed violations to addresses. He estimated the fireworks enforcement funding is drawn from a 7% surcharge on safe-and-sane fireworks sales, with an estimated fund balance of about $68,000 for this year's effort. Knapp said administrative citation levels depend on the number of fuses observed and that the city assesses a $1,500 penalty per fuse witnessed being lit.

Council members questioned whether citation revenue is reinvested, whether social-media influencers could expand outreach, how many drones and pilots the city has, and whether the program has reduced illegal fireworks. Knapp said funds are used for larger equipment purchases, administrative support and program costs; the fire department maintains 12 drone pilots who are rotated so pilots are not overworked; and the department's most recent drone purchase cost about $15,000'$20,000 (police drones cited as more expensive, around $30,000).

During public comment several residents praised the outreach and education efforts but urged more visible, real-time enforcement in neighborhoods rather than primarily after-the-fact citations. One resident proposed mobile LED billboards to warn about penalties and monitoring; another suggested using calls to 911 and SalinasConnect reports as performance measures.

Next steps: The item was presented as an informational report. No council vote was required. Staff said they welcome suggestions on outreach channels and will continue to refine staffing and deployment plans ahead of the July 4 enforcement period.