Brentwood celebrates the 4th of July with its first ever drone show. Organizers say the images can be seen about three miles away, 150 drones dazzle in the display of lights, creating animations that express patriotism and local pride. I think it's amazing, especially because of the environment like technology, almost like in the sky and you're watching it like that. And it's planned. I think I think it's going to be a little bit better than a fireworks show. No loud explosions, just music. I like it because the kids aren't scared of the big booms. So normally we have to leave a firework show because the kids are crying. But that was perfect . The executive director of Downtown Brentwood Coalition, a nonprofit that supports businesses, pitched the idea of a drone show after seeing videos of shows held elsewhere. We have a lot of fire danger in this area, and so that was a concern for us. And we were looking for an alternative, an alternative that does not require a fire inspector from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District to be at the event. The fire marshal tells me it will be a busy night dealing with illegal firework and staffing. Fire inspectors at July 4th. Fireworks shows in five other cities. We feel the fireworks displays can be done safely, but we want to make sure that we do have inspectors on site going over all the state requirements for Brentwood. Fireworks shows may not be a thing of the past. There's a lot going on with obviously with the environment right now. I think at least for the short term, this is this is the solution for now. But I know this community loves fireworks. The organizer tells me cost is a factor. She says this drone show cost $50,000. She estimates a fireworks display would likely cost less, about $40,000. She says this show was paid for by small businesses, crowd funding and a grant from the city in Brentwood
