BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — As they predicted, the Kern County Fire Department said that this past Independence Day was one of the busiest days of the year.
The day and evening on the holiday is full of fire threats, fueled by illegal fireworks and firecrackers, which in turn fed into an increase of 911 calls and reports to the fire department.
On this year’s Fourth of July alone, the Kern County Fire Department responded to nearly 360 emergency incidents, marking a 45% increase than the year before.
Firefighters also responded to 203 fires on Saturday’s holiday — a 44% increase from 2025, too.
“To ensure firefighters could respond quickly to emergencies across Kern County, the department implemented a pre-planned staffing increase of 179 personnel, adding firefighters, dispatchers, and support staff in strategic locations before the holiday began,” KCFD said.
“The additional staffing allowed crews to respond more effectively to the heightened demand while maintaining coverage throughout the county.”
Additionally, Kern County’s Emergency Communications Center fielded 1,368 emergency 911 calls on July 4 — a 38% increase from 2025.
Through the Illegal Fireworks Reporter online portal service, the county received about 3,500 reports of illicit fireworks on July 4. There were about 4,400 reports last year.
Prior to Independence day, the department had been urging county residents to report firework-related complaints through the illegal fireworks portal rather than calling 911.
“The continued use of online reporting helped reduce non-emergency phone traffic into the Emergency Communications Center, allowing dispatchers to prioritize life-threatening incidents and quickly assign firefighters to active emergencies,” KCFD stated.
The holiday was also a busy day for the Bakersfield Fire Department.
BFD told 17 News on Monday that they responded to 67 fire calls, four house fires, one commercial fire and reported about $1 million in fire damages.
As illegal fireworks ignite across Bakersfield, Fire Department works to contain them on America 250
BFD also issued about 106 citations on July 4, 34 of then being within the City of Bakersfield and 72 in Kern County areas.
The department said that reducing the number of non-emergency call volume to local emergency services has a direct impact on emergency response time.
BFD also said that faster dispatch times mean that firefighters can arrive at active fires sooner, increasing the likelihood of containing incidents while they are still small.
“The Kern County Fire Department extends its sincere appreciation to the firefighters, dispatchers and support personnel who dedicated themselves to protecting our communities throughout the holiday,” the department said. “Protecting Kern County is a shared responsibility, and the success of the holiday response reflects the collective efforts of everyone involved.”
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