Victorville ramps up enforcement of illegal fireworks citing safety, animal and veteran impacts

Victorville City code and fire officials said the city has stepped up enforcement against illegal fireworks, pointing to public‑safety risks, harm to animals and strain on emergency services.

Elise Tomlin, enforcement manager for the city’s Code Compliance division, and Rob Carter, a supervisor in code compliance, described a program that combines patrols, new capture technology and community reporting. "All of them," Tomlin said when asked which fireworks are illegal in Victorville, meaning both 'safe and sane' ground fireworks and aerial devices are prohibited in the city.

Tomlin and Carter credited Measure P with enabling the expansion of code enforcement staff; Carter said the team has grown to 18 officers in recent years and the additional staffing has allowed the city to prioritize patrols in neighborhoods with high complaint concentrations.

The city now uses a progressive fine schedule, Carter said: "There's 1000 dollar fine, for the use, the sale, the discharge of fireworks here in Victorville," rising to $2,000 for repeat violations within six months. Officials said that prior low fines had not deterred repeat use.

Carter and Tomlin said complaints and citations peaked in 2020 and have fallen since. "In 2020 alone we had over 3,000 complaints submitted through the reporting app," Carter said; he told listeners the city received just over 600 complaints last year and issued roughly 78 citations, including 38 on July 4.

The officials emphasized that community reporting is central to enforcement. Carter said residents should include detailed information — exact location, approximate time and photos where possible — via the VV CityReport feature in the city app or the reporting button on Victorville’s homepage.

Tomlin explained why enforcement can be difficult: officers often arrive after a single fireworks discharge has ended and, without photographic evidence or witness testimony, alleged users commonly deny responsibility. To address that, the city has increased night and weekend patrols, invested in new vehicle capture technology and plans expanded public outreach at events to demonstrate reporting.

Tomlin also described direct harms from fireworks to animals and households. She said animal control received more than 60 calls on July 4 last year, recovered 17 deceased animals and impounded about 15 strays overnight, and recounted cases of pets suffering severe stress or injuries.

Rob Carter and code staff also raised veterans' welfare as a concern. Carter noted the High Desert’s sizable veteran population and cited a study figure that about 19% of veterans nationally experience some form of PTSD, saying fireworks can be a triggering stressor for that group.

Victorville Fire Chief Bobby Klemmer described the operational impact on the fire department. Klemmer said the department operates five stations with roughly 90 personnel, three paramedic squads, one truck and five engines. He warned that fireworks‑caused vegetation fires can be resource intensive in the High Desert fuel environment and that mutual‑aid boundary drops to cover fires outside the city pull Victorville resources away from local emergencies.

"Our calls doubled on the July 4 this last year specifically," Klemmer said, describing many multi‑unit responses that reduce the department’s capacity to reach life‑threatening calls elsewhere. He also said the city’s fire investigation unit works with code enforcement; when fires are deemed negligent or intentional, the city may seek fines, criminal prosecution and cost recovery billed per resource hour.

Officials noted new interagency steps: the fire department is coordinating with the California Department of Agriculture to confiscate fireworks in vehicles at state entry points, and the city will expand public education and outreach. Listeners were reminded to use the VV CityReport app or the city website to report illegal fireworks, and to provide as much detail as possible.

The podcast episode closed with program credits and an invitation to suggest future topics.