Kennewick staff say public education and stepped-up staffing limited holiday harm as River of Fire drew 27,202 visitors

Kennewick officials reported that focused public education and additional police and fire staffing helped manage a large River of Fire crowd and multiple fireworks‑related incidents over the July 3–5 holiday period.

Deputy City Manager Chris Guerrero, who presented the police-side overview, said the city issued a bilingual press release on June 19, distributed fireworks flyers and sent notify‑me emails and texts to more than 18,000 residents ahead of the holiday. Guerrero said a new fireworks web page logged roughly 2,300 visits and staff coordinated with HOAs and regional partners to clarify what fireworks are legal inside Kennewick.

That outreach, Guerrero said, was paired with targeted deployments: one overnight shift (6 p.m.–6 a.m.) worked the three holiday nights, with about 10 officers and two supervisors on the busiest shifts, rovers for cross‑coverage and a proactive emphasis team that made officer‑initiated contacts. He said the emphasis team handled 48 events (25 dispatched calls, 19 proactive contacts and 4 assists).

"First and foremost, please call," Guerrero told councilors, stressing the value of reporting incidents. "Call every single time." He said the 6 p.m.–3 a.m. window on July 4 produced the highest workload, with staff reporting roughly 207 events in that period and about 110 fireworks calls into dispatch.

Fire Chief Michael Haffner’s report covered fire prevention and operational measures. Haffner said inspectors checked all nine fireworks stands in Kennewick (including a new Costco vendor this year) and the fire marshal staffed a public education booth at Columbia Park that contacted about 630 people. To respond more rapidly in park and off‑road areas, Haffner said the department deployed an off‑road firefighting vehicle, a firefighting‑capable UTV, two extra ambulance crews and an additional shift supervisor.

"We saw 40 fireworks‑related fires," Haffner said in presenting incident counts, and he added that, across July 3–5, agencies in the region saw an upward trend in fireworks activity year over year. Parks and Recreation data provided to staff showed the River of Fire drew 27,202 visitors (a 15.3% increase from the prior year), peaked at about 9 p.m. with roughly 16,900 people, and had an average dwell time of 141 minutes. Park egress completed in 38 minutes — about 10 minutes faster than 2025.

Councilors asked for comparisons to other busy weekends and neighboring jurisdictions. Staff said July 4 remains the city's busiest event because the River of Fire concentrates attendance and demands cross‑departmental staffing. Council members and staff discussed why Kennewick reports more fireworks and fire calls than nearby West Richland and county fire districts; staff cited higher residential density and more multi‑family housing that can concentrate illegal fireworks use, while councilors noted possible differences in reporting behavior and vendor density across jurisdictions.

Officials also reviewed the city's use of an AI‑driven nonemergency phone system (Aurelien) on the 628‑0333 line. Guerrero said the system captured key caller information (requested response, name, phone) and that it was in place for about six months, but he also acknowledged it does not always prompt callers to request a live dispatcher, and staff will pursue communication and follow‑up process changes to close any contact gaps.

No formal policy changes or votes were taken at the workshop. Council members thanked police, fire, parks and other city staff — and partner vendors such as Venue Works — for planning, education and operational coordination that helped manage a crowded event with relatively limited injuries. Miss Erdman closed with a brief administrative note: an employee appreciation barbecue scheduled for the next day and a reminder that departments have submitted budgets, with staff meetings and council workshops to follow in the coming weeks.