Clatsop County firefighters ready to respond - The Astorian

Clatsop County firefighters ready to respond

Published 4:08 pm Tuesday, June 30, 2026

The Fourth of July is a day of jubilation in the United States, and this year marks a big milestone for the country — 250 years of independence. While families and friends celebrate with barbecues and fireworks, emergency responders stand by, ready to protect their neighbors if and when there are holiday mishaps.

Incidental accidents have varied from city to city on the North Coast, according to local fire chiefs. In Warrenton, July 4 has been one of the busiest days of the year for fire personnel, while in Astoria, July 4 records mirror those of an average day. The Astorian asked local fire chiefs about the holiday emergency response patterns in their jurisdictions, and, while answers differed, one sentiment remained consistent across the board: safety is their top priority.

Warrenton

“The Fourth of July is traditionally one of the busiest days of the year for the Warrenton Fire Department,” said the city’s fire chief, Brian Alsbury. However, he said call volumes vary dramatically from year to year. “A cool, damp Oregon coast July 4 might produce only a handful of fireworks-related incidents,” he said. On the other hand, “a dry, windy year could generate numerous brush and vegetation fires in a single evening.”

Alsbury said his department always prepares for grass fires, brush fires, dumpster fires, fireworks-related injuries, and structure fires related to fireworks around the Fourth. He said volunteer firefighters stand by at the station all day and night to “ensure a rapid response to emergencies. Many people don’t realize that our volunteer firefighters leave their families, backyard barbecues, and holiday celebrations behind, so they can stand ready to respond when someone needs help,” said Alsbury.

Alsbury said emergency personnel working on the Fourth of July also respond to an increased number of respiratory-related medical calls due to smoke exposure, illegal fireworks, and small brush or vegetation fires started by the “careless use of fireworks. While many incidents are minor, they have the potential to escalate quickly, particularly when weather conditions are dry or windy.”

Alsbury said he assigns personnel as dedicated beach patrolers in the Peter Iredale and Sunset Beach areas. “These locations attract large crowds during the holiday and can become particularly active with fireworks use,” he said. “Our presence helps us quickly address potential emergencies, including dune grass and vegetation fires, fireworks-related injuries, and other public safety concerns.”

To keep yourselves and others safe this Independence Day, Alsbury said he hopes everyone follows local laws and safety recommendations, which The Astorian reported about on June 24 in the article, “Fireworks 101.” (You can read the article online at dailyastorian.com.) Alsbury said if everyone would follow the laws and safety rules, that would reduce the number of emergencies and ensure firefighters can focus on incidents that truly require assistance.

Alsbury said safety is his team’s top priority, but that doesn’t mean they don’t celebrate, too. The Warrenton Fire Department hosts a free annual Community Fourth of July BBQ, fully funded by the Warrenton Firefighters Association. “We serve hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and drinks as a way of thanking our community for its continued support throughout the year,” Alsbury said.

Seaside

Seaside Fire Chief Joey Daniels said his team sees more action than usual on July 4, but it’s not necessarily because of fireworks. There are simply more people in town, he said. Seaside Fire & Rescue typically responds to five to 10 fires on the Fourth, said Daniels, compared to an average of two to four on other summer days. And this year, he said it’s dryer than usual despite some rain in the week leading up to the holiday. “It only takes a couple hours to dry the beach grass,” he said. “Don’t light anything in the grass.”

Daniels said Seaside Fire & Rescue has responded to a structure fire each July 4 for the past three years, but only one incident was fireworks-related — fireworks that were believed to be out in a shed in someone’s backyard ignited, Daniels said. Other common incidents on the holiday are medical. Daniels cautioned people to be mindful of dehydration and over-intoxication, as he said these are often what spurs medical calls.

Although they always hope for minimal incidents, Daniels said he and his team will be prepared to respond to their community’s calls and then some. Daniels said July 4 is “probably the biggest staffing day of the year” with all police and fire dispatchers on duty. In addition to having firefighters ready to respond to emergencies, Daniels said he will station staff on the beaches to provide assistance as needed and, depending on need, he may also send some of his staff to help in other areas of the county.

Astoria

In Astoria, things have historically been a little milder on July 4, according to Fire Chief Dan Crutchfield. In fact, he said it’s typically just like any other day. “Generally, for us in Astoria, our citizens and visitors are well behaved and don’t have a lot of issues,” he said. “The Fourth of July in Astoria tends to just be a fun day for all with the average amount of emergency responses.”

Crutchfield said there were a total of five emergency responses on the Fourth of July holiday last year: three medical emergencies, one “no incident found upon arrival,” and one outside fire. The fire was in the bed of a moving truck that originated from a box of used fireworks, he said. Crutchfield also said his team sometimes responds to bark dust fires and dumpster fires around the holiday from improperly disposed fireworks. (Safety tip: Crutchfield said to soak used fireworks in water before disposal.)

The AFD normally responds to an average of five emergencies a day, said Crutchfield. Since there’s not an expected uptick in Astoria incidents this Independence Day, Crutchfield said he does not plan to pay career staff overtime to have extra personnel on duty. “We will be staffed with three career firefighters, and we have a chief officer that is the duty chief, and he will respond from home if needed,” he said. “We also have our volunteer firefighters, intern firefighters and we can call in off-duty career firefighters if needed.”

Cannon Beach

Similar to Astoria, Cannon Beach has usually been pretty calm for July 4, according to Cannon Beach Fire Chief Marc Reckmann. A primary reason for this, he said, is that fireworks are not allowed in city limits. Reckmann said it’s a rule that actually draws people to the city. “Many people come to Cannon Beach for quiet,” he said. Reckmann also said a contributing factor to the calm of July 4 in Cannon Beach is the 2023 implementation of the Cannon Beach lifeguard program under the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District.

“The biggest problem we used to have was campfires too close to dune grass or unattended campfires,” said Reckmann. “With the lifeguards on the beach, our calls have dropped because the lifeguards are helping with campfire education as well.” Reckmann said there were three medical, one structure fire and 11 campfire incidents requiring Fire & Rescue response on July 4, 2023. In 2024, those numbers dwindled to five medical, two motor vehicle accidents, one structure fire and two campfire incidents. Last year, there were two medical, one motor vehicle accident and three campfire incidents, Reckmann said.

This July 4, Reckmann said two career and two part-time firefighters, as well as two students, will staff the fire station. But between dedicated volunteer firefighters and other staff attending the annual barbecue at the Cannon Beach station, there will be no shortage of first responders ready to protect the community.