VIDEO: The peace and serenity Doris Spies and her neighbors enjoy in their Escondido homes has been interrupted throughout the years by illegal fireworks. “On a random Thursday, we had, there was a big boom about two weeks ago, in the middle of the week,” said Spies. “These are big. We have some that have gone off that have shaken the house.”
Spies is part of a group called “Escondido Fights Illegal Fireworks.” They’ve been lobbying the city for stricter fireworks laws. “I really want our community to start caring about how their fireworks affect other people, as well as, of course, the fire safety issue,” said Spies.
Most of the reports of fireworks concerns flair up in the eastern part of the city, where Spies lives, according to the group’s heat map. Their informal survey also shows that about 75% of Escondido’s roughly 150,000 residents are disturbed by fireworks.
It’s why they’re urging people to be considerate of their neighbors. “There was maybe a couple who just got their baby to sleep, and then — boom — right? And now the baby’s awake. And then we have people on our council group who have PTSD for military service. And they tell us how much this, the fireworks stress them out,” said Spies.
Mayor Dane White has heard resident’s plea for help and Escondido Fights Illegal Fireworks’ two-pronged proposal to stop illegal fireworks. It was considered during last Thursday’s city fireworks subcommittee. The proposal includes allowing the police and fire departments to use drones to identify violators.
