Full Notification

City of Cloverdale, CA – In response to the recent Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service, the City of Cloverdale, in coordination with the Cloverdale Fire Protection District and the Cloverdale Police Department, has made the joint decision to suspend the sale and use of stateapproved fireworks, otherwise known as safe and sane fireworks. This decision is driven by the critical fire weather conditions currently affecting our area including a combination of high wind gusts, high temperatures and low humidities. The decision to suspend the sale and use of state-approved fireworks was made after careful and thorough consideration and made based on fire threats to our community.

What is a Red Flag Warning? A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. The combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures significantly increases the risk of fire behavior.

On Tuesday, July 2nd, the National Weather Service issued an updated Red Flag Warning. The Red Flag Warning was extended from Wednesday, July 3 for the North Bay Interior Mountains and the Sonoma Coastal Range until 5 AM Friday (July 5). An Excessive Heat Warning for Sonoma County has also been extended through 11 PM Tuesday (July 9).

Situation Information:

Fire Weather: Critical fire weather conditions include wind gusts of up to 25-40 mph, low humidity, and high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees from late Monday into Friday for portions of Sonoma County. North-northeast winds are expected to develop Monday evening across the ridges of North Bay and East Bay, along with the Marin and Sonoma Coastal Ranges. Dry, offshore winds of up to 25 mph will persist across the North Bay interior mountains, resulting in elevated fire weather concerns. Gusts of 30 to 40 mph will be possible across ridgetops and higher peaks.

Suspension of Sale and Use of Safe and Sane Fireworks: The sale and discharge of safe and sane fireworks may be prohibited upon determining that conditions exist in the City that create an extreme danger to public health and safety, life, and property. Such conditions include, but are not limited to, fire weather events, fuel moisture, drought, and limitations on available firefighting forces. Mayor Lands, Fire Chief Jenkins, Police Chief Parker have determined that conditions exist to warrant prohibiting the sale and discharge of safe and sane fireworks this year.

The basis for the decision to suspend the sale and use of safe and sane fireworks is the extension of the Red Flag Warning by the National Weather Service and in particular the high wind gusts forecast to impact Northern Sonoma County.

Fireworks Display at Cloverdale High School: At this time, the Fireworks Display at Cloverdale High School on the 4th of July is planned to continue. Fire personnel will be onsite to monitor conditions to ensure the safety of attendees. If weather conditions exist that are a threat to the City, the fireworks display could be cancelled and/or modified.

Safety Precautions:
• Outdoor burning and use of fireworks are not permitted due to an increased chance for fire starts and fire spreads.

• Exercise fire safety precautions to prevent fires.

• Follow all emergency alerts for up-to-date information on emergency conditions.

We urge all residents, businesses, and visitors to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to prevent fire starts during this critical period and not use any fireworks including state approved fireworks and illegal fireworks. The safety of our community is our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

For More Information: Contact Cloverdale Fire Protection District or Cloverdale Police Department. Signed: Mayor Todd Lands, Fire Chief Jason Jenkins, Police Chief Chris Parker, City Manager David Kelley