Fire and 911 officials urge Kern County, Bakersfield residents not to call 911 for illegal fireworks

An agency official at the Kern County 911 call center said that the system has been overwhelmed in recent days and urged residents not to call 911 to report illegal fireworks. "We're inundated with emergencies. Our call volume increases over 2,000 calls over a 2-day period," the official said, adding that engines are responding to medical emergencies and fires.

A 911 dispatcher reiterated the plea, saying the call center is "going to be inundated" and recommending that people use the city website to report illegal fireworks. "If there is a fire, you can always call our center. You will be transferred to the fire department," the dispatcher said.

Officials said visitors to Kern County lakes, rivers and campgrounds have contributed to the spike in non‑emergency calls, including accidents and disturbances, and that those calls are competing with life‑threatening calls for limited dispatch capacity. "It takes away our ability to get the real 911 life and death emergencies handled as quickly as we can," one official said, warning that fielding reports about illegal fireworks can delay responses to medical emergencies and vehicle crashes.

A caller who contacted the line during the discussion asked, "Are you guys there right now? How old is she? Is she awake?" Officials said those kinds of individual welfare checks and urgent queries highlight why they need to prioritize true emergencies.

Officials asked residents in Kern County and the city of Bakersfield to use the city/county website or the promoted app to report illegal fireworks; those reports will be handled by staff from city and county fire agencies. "Please do not call 911 to report fireworks in the Kern County or Bakersfield city areas," an official said, adding that the website is staffed and that using it will allow 911 call‑takers to remain available for life‑threatening emergencies.

The message from officials was procedural: call 911 only for life‑threatening emergencies and use the online reporting tools for illegal fireworks. No formal actions or policy changes were announced during the briefing.