As Independence Day approaches with its traditional pyrotechnic fervor, local law enforcement and fire departments are stepping up efforts to squelch use of illegal fireworks.

Rainfall levels remain near record lows this year in Ventura County, and officials are worried bottle rockets or sparklers could ignite blazes in dry brush or on wood shake roofs.

"This is an extreme Fourth of July period," said Capt. Barry Parker of the Ventura County Fire Department. "A small ember could definitely cause a fire."

Fireworks are prohibited in all of Ventura County except Fillmore, where a limited variety of "safe and sane" devices are legal for about a week near July 4. Despite stiff fines for possessing or using illegal fireworks, contraband devices flood the county every summer, authorities said.

Fireworks were blamed for starting a fire on the roof of an Oxnard home this month. Two structure fires in Simi Valley and seven grass fires in Santa Paula were attributed to fireworks last year, authorities said.

Fireworks also generate hundreds of noise complaints around the holiday.

Officials around the county are encouraging residents to go to the local professional fireworks shows. And most departments are dedicating extra resources to finding individuals who flout fireworks regulations.

Turn in violators

The cities of Simi Valley and Oxnard have set up fireworks hotlines. Both cities are asking residents to phone in tips about neighbors planning illegal fireworks displays and those who have previously violated fireworks rules.

Police in both cities say they plan to visit "potential violators" to educate them about the dangers of fireworks and the fines, which can reach $1,000.

"We're just trying to warn them ahead of time before they get into a situation where (they) have to be fined or cited or arrested," said Sgt. Jeff Dominick of the Simi Valley Police Department. "We're not trying to pick on anyone."

Simi Valley's hotline received more than 45 calls during its first two weeks of operation, Dominick said.

Officers from Simi Valley's Special Forces Unit will be scouring the city for fireworks to seize and people to cite in the days leading up to the holiday. Last year, the department confiscated thousands of illegal fireworks and issued 34 citations. The average fine was $850.

Oxnard is doubling the number of officers who will work undercover July 4, said Cmdr. Mike Adair.

Last year, the department handed out $1,000 fines to 34 people for fireworks that fly, dart or explode, and $200 fines to 41 people for so-called safe and sane fireworks, Adair said. Safe and sane fireworks include sparklers, fountains and fireworks that smoke and spin.

The department believes fines are a bigger deterrent than confiscated fireworks, Adair said, so it's increasing the number of undercover officers in hopes of catching more fireworks users in the act.

The department also plans to eliminate access to part of Ormond Beach on July 4 by closing Arnold Road.

When police closed the road last year, they saved valuable man-hours because they didn't have to respond to calls of illegal fireworks on the beach, Adair said. The wetland environment at the beach also benefited from the decrease in holiday revelers, he said.

Felony for bottle rockets

As they have the two previous years, Santa Paula firefighters will search alongside plainclothes police for people using or possessing fireworks, said Assistant Chief Kevin Fildes of the Santa Paula Fire Department. The searches will begin this weekend and last five days instead of the normal three.

Anyone found with safe and sane fireworks will face fines of up to $1,000. Individuals found with other types of illegal fireworks, such as bottle rockets, will face felony charges of possessing destructive devices, Fildes said.

"With the drought, the brush is the driest it's ever been. We have to basically step up and try to curtail the use" of fireworks, he said.

In Port Hueneme, police are bumping up their July 4 staffing by about 10 officers, roughly the same number as last year, said Cmdr. Ken Dobbe. The emphasis will be on seizing fireworks.

Sheriff's deputies will also be out in force.

In addition to deputies staffing professional fireworks shows, a fire investigator will accompany a sheriff's deputy on patrol during the evening of July 4 to help identify possible risks and code infractions, said Capt. Jerry Hernandez.

In Moorpark, two extra patrol cars and a two-man bike patrol will bolster the sheriff's regular contingent on July 4. After the holiday, the bike patrol will be back to stay after a five-year absence, Hernandez said.

Don't Blow It'

Ventura fire personnel plan to be out enforcing fireworks regulations as well, but the city's efforts are oriented more toward education than action.

In an informational campaign called "Don't Blow It," the city is stressing the dangers of fireworks along with the $400 fine for possessing them. The city's fireworks brochure informs readers that about 10,800 people nationwide were treated for fireworks-related injuries at emergency rooms in 2005, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

The campaign also features a "distressed Dalmatian," which reminds residents to take their pets inside and make sure they are wearing current identification in case they become so frightened by fireworks they run away.

Ventura police will have four patrol units and a two-officer bicycle team on fireworks duty.

In Fillmore, fireworks labeled with the state fire marshal's safe and sane logo are legal from noon June 28 to noon July 5. But authorities are serious about enforcing regulations against all other fireworks, said Capt. Bruce Macedo of the Fillmore Police Department.

Anyone found using or possessing an illegal firework may be fined up to $1,000, he said. Last year, the department issued about 15 citations.

To enforce the prohibitions this year, a Fillmore police officer and a firefighter are scheduled to patrol the city for about a week before the holiday in search of people using or selling illegal fireworks.

The task is challenging in Fillmore because some fireworks are legal in the city, so some people think they can bring in all kinds of fireworks from other states and Mexico, Macedo said. That's a misunderstanding he wants to clear up.

"It's not a license to come out here and launch everything you've got," Macedo said.