RIO LINDA – The 2025 Fireworks “After Action Reviews” have been delivered to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and have been included in the September 23rd Board Meeting packet for review by the supervisors.
The board packet with the fireworks reports can be seen here: https://agendanet.saccounty.gov/BoardofSupervisors/Documents/ViewDocument/BOARD_OF_SUPERVISORS_9260_Agenda_Packet_9_23_2025_9_30_00_AM.pdf?meetingId=9260&documentType=AgendaPacket&itemId=0&publishId=0&isSection=false
The reports, requested by the Board of Supervisors, provides detailed data and after-action reviews for the period surrounding July 4, 2025. It includes summaries from key agencies serving the Rio Linda and Elverta areas, including the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, and Sacramento County Code Enforcement.
For the heightened enforcement period, Metro Fire’s jurisdiction saw a 10.82% decrease in call volume over 2024. Requests for medical assistance consistently represented the highest percentage of dispatches each year. However, there was a 17.78% increase in fireworks-related fires compared to 2024. Similar to previous years, Metro Fire experienced fires caused by both “safe and sane” devices and dangerous fireworks.
Within Metro Fire’s jurisdiction, a total of 152 fireworks booths were permitted in 2025, the same number as in 2024. Each of these booths was inspected by a fire inspector to ensure compliance. The distribution of these stands in the Rio Linda Online readership area was as follows:
- Antelope: 9
- North Highlands: 8
- Rio Linda: 4
The safety of all personnel remains a paramount concern. Responders have encountered threats of violence. Due to these heightened risks, crews are unable to safely intervene with large groups engaging in the use of dangerous fireworks, as these devices have been weaponized against responders. Despite the presence of fire personnel, these groups remain undeterred and continue their unlawful activities.
In addition to operational resources, Metro Fire’s Community Risk Reduction Division (CRRD) upstaffed fire investigators to handle the increased call volume and fires anticipated for the holiday.
Metro Fire itself does not have an administrative citation process. If personnel encounter suspected social host liability violations, the incident is referred to Sacramento County Code Enforcement with supporting documentation.
During the heightened enforcement period, the Fire Investigations Unit responded to 19 incidents to conduct fire origin and cause investigations, 57.9% of which were fireworks-related. This represents a 15.4% decrease in investigations involving fireworks from 2024. There were no arson arrests during the heightened enforcement period in 2025.
Fire investigation teams were planned to be distributed geographically to cover all 359 square miles of the district. However, due to a reduction in requests for fire investigations in 2025, the teams were able to assist as a single unit, which provided for greater efficiency and rapid incident close-out.
Metro Fire, which began piloting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in 2024, deployed a single UAV team on July 4th. This effort resulted in 14 locations being submitted to Sacramento County Code Enforcement for social host violations.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office (SSO) executed a coordinated prevention and response strategy for illegal fireworks activity on July 4, 2025. This year’s holiday ranked as the fourth busiest day since 2021 for the SSO’s Communications Center, with a total of 439 fireworks-related events (calls to 911) created. Sheriff District 1, which includes Rio Linda, Elverta, North Highlands, and Antelope, generated the highest number of calls with 121.
Despite strong planning, integration of SCOUT drone surveillance, and visible deployment of POP and Patrol units, the scale of fireworks activity exceeded available law enforcement resources. Deputies were significantly stretched between 9 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., as large crowds gathered in public streets and around schools.
Drone enforcement played a critical role in Code Enforcement’s success. The department partnered with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office by embedding two officers with Sheriff drone teams, resulting in 9 penalties. Additionally, Metro Fire’s independent UAV team provided evidence that led to 14 penalties in a single neighborhood.
A new detail from the SSO’s North Problem Oriented Policing (POP) team highlights their strategic actions. The North POP Team’s mission was prevention and response in the Antelope and Orangevale areas. They infiltrated a social media group, staged two-man units at Antelope Crossing Middle School and Olive Grove Elementary, and coordinated with SCOUT and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team.
Sacramento County Code Enforcement: A Proactive Approach
In 2025, Sacramento County Code Enforcement continued its administrative enforcement efforts with a new, proactive approach. A key factor in their success was a strategy of directly contacting complainants to gather additional information, video evidence, and witness statements. This allowed staff to convert otherwise unactionable complaints into warning letters or penalties.
- Total Complaints: Code Enforcement received 774 complaints regarding illegal fireworks, representing a 26.4% decrease from 2024.
- Penalties Issued: There was a significant increase in penalties, with 72 penalties issued, an increase of 111.8% from 2024.
- Warning Letters & Follow-ups: The department issued 189 warning letters and conducted 846 constituent follow-ups, an increase of 78.1% over the previous year.
The report also detailed the reasons for unactionable complaints, with the largest group of 506 complaints being dismissed due to missing address information, insufficient evidence, or being for legal fireworks.
The geographic distribution of penalties provides valuable insights for targeting future enforcement efforts. The report notes that District 4, which encompasses the Antelope, Elverta, and Rio Linda areas, had the highest concentration of penalties at 31.9%. This was followed closely by District 3 (Fair Oaks/Arden/Carmichael area) at 30.6%, and District 2 (South Sacramento/Vineyard area) at 26.4%. A more detailed breakdown for Supervisor Rosario Rodriguez’s District 4 shows the following distribution of the 23 penalties:
- Antelope 95843: 12
- Elverta 95626: 4
- Rio Linda 95673: 3
- North Highlands 95660: 2
- Orangevale 95662: 2
A significant component of the enforcement strategy is the Sacramento County Code Section 4.54.425, known as the “Host Liability” ordinance, which holds property owners accountable for illegal fireworks use on their property. This ordinance establishes a tiered penalty system to deter repeat violations:
- $1,000 Penalty: For the first violation of illegal fireworks on a property.
- $2,500 Penalty: For the second violation on the same property within one year.
- $5,000 Penalty: For additional violations on the same property within one year.
- $10,000 Penalty: For violations in sensitive areas such as the American River Parkway, county parks, or school properties.
Looking forward to 2026, the SSO anticipates a substantially higher operational demand. With Independence Day falling on a Saturday next year, both Friday, July 3rd, and Saturday, July 4th, are expected to generate large-scale gatherings and fireworks activity.
These agencies are active participants in the Sacramento County Fireworks Taskforce, which is led by the Office of the County Executive to ensure elected officials and their constituents are well-informed.
Metro Fire has several recommendations to address some of the challenges experienced in 2025. They are advocating for legislative solutions at both the State and Federal levels to deter the sale of fireworks in other states to California residents. Additionally, they propose amending local ordinances to make each individual dangerous firework a separate offense. Other key recommendations include:
- Engaging the Department of Health Services to gather, analyze, and track fireworks injury trends.
- Partnering with the Youth Firesetters Program to provide educational presentations in schools.
- Distributing host liability information with street use permits.
- Establishing a cost-sharing model with Sacramento County Code Enforcement for social host violations, with cost recovery shared 50/50. This partnership would allow Metro Fire to bolster its UAV program and assist with enforcement.
The findings from the after-action reviews of these various agencies will be presented to the Board of Supervisors as communications received and filed, providing a comprehensive overview of the challenges and successes in managing fireworks-related incidents and promoting public safety in the region.
