Beginning June 30 through July 4, safe and sane fireworks will be available for sale and for use in the city of Costa Mesa.

While the city encourages residents to purchase the legal fireworks, which supports local non-profit groups, there will be zero tolerance for anyone caught using the illegal versions. Sale of a illegal fireworks in California is a felony and lighting them is a misdemeanor. Click here for more information in English and Spanish on fireworks.

We urge residents to follow these safety tips provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission when using legal fireworks:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue members will wear a 90^th Anniversary Badge on their uniforms for the remainder of the year to pay tribute to the valued history of over 90 years of service to the community, dating back to its origins as a volunteer fire department under the leadership the first Fire Chief Fred Brush.

“Like so many great ideas in the fire service, this one came from one of our talented firefighters, Engineer Scott Purcell,” said Fire Chief Dan Stefano. “He deserves the credit for taking his idea of a 90^th anniversary badge from its conception to full implementation. We are extremely proud of our storied history serving such an incredible and vibrant community and of Scott’s passion and dedication to bring the badge to life.”

Engineer Purcell, who worked with others on the design, sought input from the entire organization, in addition to working with our community partners.

“The badge encompasses multiple aspects from within our city, county and the fire service as a whole,” Engineer Purcell said.

The center of the badge pays tribute to the legendary Segerstrom Hall, with the lima beans and oranges on the sides representing the famed farming history of Costa Mesa and the County of Orange as a whole.

The bottom of the badge includes the individual identification number for each fire and rescue team member and the axes on either side of the badge are a signature tool of a firefighter.

The head of each axe highlights two significant numbers; the year the fire department was established and the number 343, which represents the number of firefighters that made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001.

Costa Mesa detectives have made two arrests for the vandalism to the police vehicles that took place Thursday April 28 at the Donald Trump campaign rally at the Pacific Amphitheater at the OC Fair and Event Center and have compiled an image of the suspect they believe damaged a police car that night.

Both of the arrestees were juveniles and Costa Mesa residents.

Click here to read a bulletin regarding the outstanding suspect.

The Trump event was under the jurisdiction of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The Costa Mesa Police Department assisted and was primarily tasked with handling traffic control on the outlying streets surrounding the fairgrounds. Based on news sources approximately 31,000 attended the rally.

After the event ended, event attendees and protesters flooded the intersections along Fair Drive from Fairview Road to Newport Boulevard.

The Costa Mesa Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff Department responded and requested mutual aid assistance from surrounding law enforcement agencies to manage the large crowds leaving the fairgrounds.

The crowd’s participation elevated to the level of civil unrest with incidents of vandalism and assaults occurring.

The Costa Mesa Police Department has proactively investigated the criminal incidents to identify and hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions. The incidents investigated by the CMPD are:

• Vandalisms – Four vandalism incidents were taken and/or reported by the CMPD. One incident consisted of the vandalism to six CMPD marked patrol vehicles. The other three vandalisms were to motorists who reported damage to their vehicles. There were no investigative leads for those other three incidents.

• Assaults – Two assault incidents were reported to the CMPD. One incident involved a CMPD officer being hit in the helmet with a rock and the second was of a citizen being hit in the head with a fist. Both assault cases are still being investigated.

In addition to the above investigations, an additional assault incident and a reckless driving incident is being handled by the OCSD. These investigations are ongoing.

The Costa Mesa Police Department continues to vigorously pursue investigative leads to identify and hold the responsible parties accountable for their involvement in the activities which occurred after the Trump rally in Costa Mesa. We will pursue all means to ensure that we recover full restitution for the cost of the city’s damaged property.

Individuals with information and/or who can assist with identifying the outstanding vandalism suspect are asked to contact Detective Peters at 714.754.5198.

Fire Department Management Analyst Alma Reyes was the recipient of May’s CEO Leadership Award.

Our video team spent some time with Reyes to get an idea of what her workday is like.

At the May Meet and Greet, City CEO Tom Hatch presented Management Analyst Alma Reyes with the CEO Leadership Award.

Reyes has been with the City of Costa Mesa since January of 2011, where she began her first job as a Management Analyst for the Public Services Department. In April of 2013, she transferred into the Parks and Community Services Department to serve as both the Management Analyst and Recreation Supervisor.

In November of 2015, Reyes moved into the Fire & Rescue Department to serve as a Management Analyst and Chief Dan Stefano praised her passion for public service, team value orientation and engaged professionalism.

She provides support to the Fire & Rescue Department in the following areas: Budget preparation, procurement of supplies and equipment, processing invoices, contract administration, managing/tracking funds, monitoring of department budget, and special projects (i.e. CIPs).

She also serves in various city committees.

Prior to working in Costa Mesa, Reyes worked for 10 years for the City of Hawaiian Gardens in various areas of local government including: Administration, Public Relations, Public Safety, Public Works, Recreation, Code Enforcement and Finance.

In addition to honoring Reyes, CEO Hatch welcomed three new employees, recognized three more for promotions and congratulated Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz on his upcoming retirement.

Beginning Friday May 27, 2016, Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue will be conducting wild land fire training in the Canyon Park area beginning at 8 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. to prepare for the upcoming brushfire season.

The department will be using cold smoke from canisters to give a sense of realism to the training and assist firefighting personnel with locating the source of the simulated fire.

Fire and Rescue wants the public to know that while smoke may be visible to nearby residents, the canisters pose no safety or fire risk.

Additional training will take place on the following days:

June 1
8 a.m. to 12 noon
1 p.m. to 3:30

June 3
8 a.m. to 12 noon

June 6
8 a.m. to 12 noon
1 p.m. to 3:30

June 9
8 a.m. to 12 noon

June 20
8 a.m. to 12 noon

Costa Mesa Fire and Rescure Firefighter Corey Brean took and passed his final probationary tests this past week.

The tests include a written test and a map test where they demonstrate that they know the major streets, the hundred blocks, and target hazards in the city.

He also took a manipulative test where he demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of the city’s firefighting operations such as, hose deployment, ladder placement, rescue systems, auto extrication, and ventilation techniques.

Firefighter Brean performed exceptionally well and will finish probation in June.

By Robert N. Sharpnack
Chief of Police 

For many Californians, the term “Honor Roll” conjures up images of academic excellence and the proud feelings associated with seeing your name included on a prestigious list.

For those of us in law enforcement, the “Honor Roll” is not a list on which we want to find our names.  Although this list also gives rise to feelings of pride, it is the list of California peace officers killed in the line of duty.

So far in 2016, 33 names of officers who lost their lives throughout the United States were added to the national Honor Roll.

Each year, the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation holds a ceremony to honor the men and women in law enforcement who have made the ultimate sacrifice and joined the list that year. The numbers vary from year to year, but since 2001, the names of 159 California Police Officers have been added to the Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument in Capitol Park in Sacramento and are included in the Honor Roll on the Foundation’s website.

Those names are also included in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC and are joined by thousands of others. These brave men and women are honored each year in our nation’s capital during National Police Week that runs from May 15 to Saturday May 21.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 61 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.

In remembrance, we honor the sacrifice of two of our fallen family members: James D. “Dave” Ketchum and John W. “Mike” Libolt, who through noble commitment to duty, made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community.

Both officers were killed on March 10, 1987 when their helicopter collided with a Newport Beach copter while pursuing a suspect in a stolen car. Ketchum and Libolt were both 15-year veterans and became the first Costa Mesa police officers killed in the line of duty in the department’s history

The good work that we do day in and day out does not frequently end up in the paper. It is not considered news because it is what we chose to do – protect and serve our respective communities.

None of us wants to be included on the “Honor Roll” for our service, but recognize that the Honor Roll is there to remind us that each year, there are those of us who will make the ultimate sacrifice in service to our communities.

The risk of this sacrifice keeps many from entering the law enforcement profession. Those of us who chose law enforcement start each day with a desire to serve and protect our communities by putting the safety of others before our own. We are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. We are coaches, counselors, mediators and mentors.

We dedicate ourselves to fighting crime and drugs to create a safe community for those we serve. We help at-risk youth in schools, parents in crisis and connect the homeless and mentally ill with services. We show up when you call 911 to help you in a time need or an emergency.

We do these things with the understanding that it’s part of our job and we proud to serve our community.

On a related note, we are proud of records specialist Tina Foster’s brother, Niagara County Sheriff’s Deputy Joe Tortorella, who received a Medal of Valor award this week from President Obama.

Below are links about the award and the actual incident. His heroic actions truly made the difference that day.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/deputy-tortorella-receives-medal-of-valor-from-president-obama/196825976

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/wheatfield/acting-on-his-instincts-a-sheriffs-deputy-prevented-a-tragedy-20150504

We are fortunate to work in a community where the overwhelming majority of our population trusts and supports what we do. This support is earned by your tireless efforts to protect our citizens, enforce our laws, and keep our community safe in accordance with the core values of Teamwork, Integrity, Professionalism, and Service.

The men and women of our Department care deeply for Costa Mesa and demonstrate that care through various community engagement efforts – many of which are done on our own time.

We also strive to decrease crime and ensure a high quality of life through proactive and intelligence based policing strategies. We are grateful to serve a community that supports its Police Department and to not have to struggle with the challenges that plague many other cities.

I encourage members of the community to show that support during National Police Week by shining a blue light to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community and to show our local heroes how much they are supported by those they serve.

Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Stefano announced that Travis Johnson and Justin Horner, two firefighter/paramedics, were both promoted to the position of fire engineer, a personnel move that has not taken place in the department in over eight years.

“Travis and Justin represent the best of our organization and each has respectively contributed in a variety of areas, while serving the community with extraordinary passion, pride, and professionalism,”   Chief Stefano said.

Johnson brings over 10 years of fire service related experience to his new role, inclusive of his most recent nine years split between his current assignment here with us at the City of Costa Mesa and his previous assignment with the City of Escondido, serving as a firefighter/paramedic.

His mechanical savvy, positive attitude, and ability to adapt well in challenging circumstances are characteristics that will serve him well in his new role and will add to the extraordinary strength of the entire Engineer group.

Horner has been a member of the Costa Mesa team since 2005, preceded by service to the Garden Grove and Alhambra Fire Departments as a firefighter/paramedic.

Horner’s contributions to the organization, in particular as it relates to EMS, have been instrumental in helping the department move forward and his professionalism is to be commended. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton as well as an associate degree from Orange Coast College and was awarded the CEO’s Leadership Award in 2014.

The Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue Department would like to remind residents that May 1 through May 7 is National Arson Awareness Week.

Each year for National Arson Awareness Week, the U.S. Fire Administration gathers and shares information to raise awareness of arson or youth fire setting and provide individuals with strategies to combat these problems in their community.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, nationwide in 2013 there were 1,240,000 fires, resulting in 3,240 deaths, 15,925 injuries and $11.5 billion in property loss.

More than half a million wildfires are set by arsonists each year in the U.S., resulting in over $3 billion in damages, according to the fire administration.

This year’s National Arson Awareness Week theme is “Prevent Wildfire Arson – Spread the Facts Not the Fire.”

Click here for more information on how the public can protect itself and guard against wildfire arson.

Shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday April 28, 2016, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to supporters and attendees at a rally held at the Pacific Amphitheatre, at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. The Amphitheatre filled to capacity, permitting 8,200 attendees into the venue. An additional 3,000 visitors wishing to attend the event were turned away from the Event Center. Numerous protestor groups organized outside the OC Fair and Event Center property along Fairview Road and Fair Drive.

During the rally, protestor groups crowded the intersection at Fair Drive and Fairview Road and several motorists at the intersection deliberately spun their car tires in a reckless manner, posing a hazard to nearby pedestrians. Due to the swelling crowds and aggressive activity, mutual aid assistance was requested, activating officers from numerous surrounding agencies to provide emergency assistance.

Costa Mesa Police officers coordinated primarily with  Orange County Sheriff’s deputies and CHP officers to suppress potential violence outside the OC Fair and Event Center. Costa Mesa Police officers declared the crowd an unlawful assembly and gave several dispersal orders before giving the crowd ample time to disperse.

Costa Mesa Police officers  in protective riot gear, alongside Orange County Sheriff’s mounted deputies, and CHP officers worked collectively to clear Fair Dr. and surrounding streets of unruly crowds, and to keep access to the 55 freeway clear.

Donald Trump exited the area by 9:30 p.m., and mutual aid police agencies’ officers successfully dispersed all crowds by 11 p.m.

A total of 17 adults were arrested by Costa Mesa Police officers for failing to disperse. Those individuals were booked at the Costa Mesa Police Department jail and later released on written promises to appear.

After a string of dumpster and small brush fires throughout the weekend, Costa Mesa Fire and Police personnel conducted an arson investigation that led them to a 13-year old male Costa Mesa resident.

The boy was arrested for the related arson incidents and later booked at OC Juvenile Hall.

Click here to read the press release of the arrest.