Freedom From Fireworks in Bellingham, Washington: Page 1 of Existing Consumer Fireworks Bans and Restrictions

BANS AND RESTRICTIONS IN WASHINGTON:
Updated information about existing bans and restrictions in our State, as of May, 2012, is available from by the Washington State Fire Marshall at http://www.wsp.wa.gov/fire/docs/fireworks/ordinances.pdf. This data is summarized below:

Fifty-eight (58) cities have bans.
Ninety-one (91) other cities have restrictions.
Four (4) counties have bans.
Thirteen (13) other counties have restrictions.

The following is a county-by-county, city-by city, alphabetical-by-county listing of these bans and restrictions:

In Adams County, banned in Othello and restricted in Ritzville.
In Benton County, banned in Kennewick and Prosser and restricted in Benton City and West Richland.
Restricted in unincorporated parts of Chelan County, banned in Chelan City and restricted in Cashmere, Entiat, Leavenworth and Wenatchee.
Restricted in unincorporated parts of Clallam County and restricted in Forks and Port Angeles.
Restricted in unincorporated parts of Clark County and restricted in La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver and Washougal.
In Columbia County, restricted in Dayton.
In Cowlitz County, banned in Woodland.
Restricted in unicorporated parts of Douglas County, banned in Coulee Dam and restricted in Bridgeport and East Wennache.
Banned in unincorporated areas of Franklin County and banned in Connell and Pasco.
In Grant County, banned in Moses Lake and restricted in Ephrata.
In Grays Harbor County, restricted in Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Ocean Shores and West Port.
In Island County, restricted in Coupeville and Langley.
Restricted in unincorporated parts of Jefferson County, banned in Port Townsend and restricted in Port Ludlow.
Restricted in unincorporated areas of King County, banned in Beaux Arts, Bellevue, Burien, Carnation, Clyde Hill, Des Moines, Federal Way, Hunts Point, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Medina, New Castle, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Seatac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Woodinville and Yarrow Point and restricted in Algona, Auburn, Black Diamond, Bothell, Covington, Duvall. Enumclaw, Kent, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Skykomish and Snoqualmie.
Restricted in unincorporated areas of Kitsap County and restricted in Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Poulsbo and Port Orchard.
Restricted in unincorporated areas of Kittitas County and restricted in Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Kittitas and Roslyn.
Restricted in unincorporated areas of Klickitat County.
Banned in unincorporated areas of Okanogan County, banned in Oroville and restricted in Brewster and Okanogan.
In Pierce County, banned in Ruston, Stellacoom and Tacoma and restricted in Bonney Lake, Pacific, Puyallup, Sumner and University Place.
Restricted in unincorporated parts of San Juan County, banned in Friday Harbor.
In Skagit County, banned in Anacortes and Burlington and restricted in La Conner and Mount Vernon.
Restricted in unincorporated parts of Snohomish County , banned in Edmunds, Everett, Gold Bar, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrance, Mulkiteo and Woodway and restricted in Arlington, Brier, Bothell, Darrington, Granite Falls, Index, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Marysville and Monroe.
Banned in unincorporated areas of Spokane County, banned in Cheney, Liberty Lake, Millwood, Spokane City and Spokane Valley and restricted in Airway Heights, Deer Park and Medical Lake.
In Stevens County, restricted in Chewelah and Colville.
Restricted in unincorporated areas of Thurston County, banned in Lacey and restricted in Olympia, Raineer and Tumwater.
Restricted in unincorporated areas of Walla Walla County and restricted in College Place and Walla Walla City.
In Whatcom County, restricted in Bellingham.
Restricted in unincorporated areas of Whitman County and restricted in Oaksdale and Pullman.
Banned in unincorporated areas of Yakima County, banned in Naches, Sunnyside, Selah, Tieton, Toppenish, Union Gap and Yakima City and restricted in Grandview and Mattawa.

During the compilation of this data, various representatives of these cities have provided encouragement as well as insight as to how and why their cities put bans in place. Several are cited below. Many internet links, to information regarding how various cities in our state promote their bans, are also included on "Page 2 of Existing Consumer Fireworks Bans and Restrictions".

On 11/18/10, Gary Lebacken, Fire Chief, Adams County Fire District 5, posted:

"The City of Othello Banned private fireworks in 1992. The ban was put in place by the City of Othello city council at that time; it was proposed by the City Fire Chief. The reason behind the ban was to stop the firework-caused fires and to prevent injuries caused by fireworks. We have experienced a reduced call volume related to fireworks within the City limits. Regarding your question on the enforcement, enforcement is difficult. Othello Police Department is the enforcing agency and fireworks enforcement is secondary to many of the departments other calls."

On 8/9/10, Mark Yaden, Fire Marshal, Kennewick Fire Department, posted:

     "The City of Kennewick enacted a total consumer fireworks ban in 1993. In the early 1990's, a young baby was killed in a fireworks-related incident (apartment fire) followed by a Benton County firefighter fatality on July 4, 1992. Firefighter Paul Bjorkland died while fighting a fireworks-related wildland fire just south of Kennewick on that day. Prior to those fatalities, each year resulted in numerous fires to include a total loss grocery store fire that was suspected as fireworks related. The loss to the community, fire suppression cost, plus firefighter overtime staffing was significant every 4th of July. Our grass fuels and hot temperatures set the stage for high fire hazard every fireworks season.
     At first, a partial ban was enacted but resulted in limited success. That's when the 1993 total ban was adopted into ordinance.
     I must admit, there are still plenty of consumer fireworks being discharged in Kennewick every 4th of July time period. But the nature of the activity has changed, and our fire loss dramatically dropped off since adoption of the ban. I don't have a scientific reason for the success, but do see the positive results nonetheless. Understandably, many citizens want increased enforcement of the ban; however, there just simply aren't enough police and fire units to complete that daunting task. Encouraging our community to attend the public fireworks display and leave it to the professionals has been our approach each year."

On 8/26/10, Tom Taylor, Fire Chief, Moses Lake Fire Department, posted:

"As for the City of Moses Lake’s ban on the sale and discharge of fireworks, we enacted the ordinance in 2006 and it went into effect in 2007 as per Washington State law. The Moses Lake Fire Department went from an average fire response on the Fourth of July of 30-40 calls due to fireworks related incidents to zero responses the first year of the ban. We now only average 2-3 calls on the Fourth of July for fireworks. The reason for the ban is simple to me and to a lot of our citizens . . . safety. Not only to the citizens and their property but to the firefighters responding. Enforcement was obviously slow the first year, but has been much better the past two years. According to our police department, they received approximately 35 complaints in 2010 and issued nine citations.
We feel that the ban has far exceeded our expectations and has enabled us to fulfill our mission of keeping the public safe."

On 8/17/10, Lee Spotich, Fire Chief, East Side Fire-Rescue, posted:

"For the cities we serve, Carnation, Issaquah and Sammamish, have total bans. Carnation's has been in place for maybe 15 years, while Issaquah has had a ban for 15+, and Sammamish for 3 years. The amount of fireworks activity is strikingly different in cities with bans, vs. those without. . . . North Bend does not have a ban, and you would think it to be a war zone.
Prior to the bans, it was common to have brush fires and even a few house fires, along with injuries. That has nearly completely dried up."

On 11/24/10, Lee Spotich, Fire Chief, East Side Fire-Rescue, posted again:

"In each city (Sammamish, Carnation, and Issaquah) the ban was either due to fires related to fireworks (Carnation and Sammamish) and/or noise issues.

Success is always hard to define, but number of injuries, fires, complaints have all gone way down.

Enforcement has not been a huge issue. You have to coordinate this with lots of pre-4^th PR, do some patrolling (police and/or fire) and be willing to drop the hammer if there are the few knuckleheads that simply want to argue the matter.

Complaints/violations have gone from dozens and dozens to just a very few. People that do not want fireworks are happy to have the ability to talk over the fence and politely remind a neighbor of the law. People that don't like fireworks and don't like their neighbors simply call the authorities which is unfortunate, but just as effective.

The FD is the primary lead at EF&R cities for enforcement, though we don't write violations/tickets. To date we have not had to invite our police friends to do that, which they are happy to do.

If you come through our cities with bans you still see a few bright lights and hear some booms, but very few and only until we can triangulate the position and give them a talking to. Nothing like it was pre-ban though. Carnation sets up the large construction electronic road signs at major entry points into the city. The sign simply says Fireworks Banned in City Limits. They have done this for the past three years, and it has really helped to remind people and to give neighbors the courage to speak up.

While some argue it is a right to fire off fireworks, and others claim that it is disrespectful to celebrate independence without fireworks, I encourage people to speak with those who are the victims. Those who were asleep in their home and awakened to a neighbor telling them to get out due to a roof fire caused by a bottle rocket. In many cases the damage was not confined to the roof and some unique treasures were lost to water or fire damage. Talk with the kids that have had horrific burns, lost fingers and eyes, and see how important fireworks have become to them. Speak to the Cities and Districts that have to provide additional staffing to take care of more and larger fires caused by fireworks at a time when budgets are tight. Animals and people that are shut in are victims too. People that live next to irresponsible neighbors are fearful of leaving home, as they are on fire watch for several days/nights. The actual and potential for harm for all is much greater than what I believe is the momentary joy the few will claim. In the areas where a ban is yet to happen, there is a debris field, the aftermath of what one could view as the remnants of a war zone.

Cars replaced horses, cell phones replaced telegraphs, and elevators replaced stairs. It is long past time for public displays to replace private displays."

On 8/27/10, Jeff LaFlam, Fire Marshal, Northshore Fire Department, posted:

"The City of Kenmore adopted the ordinance prohibiting all consumer fireworks on May 17, 2004 and went into effect on June 18, 2004. The City Council determined that this was an issue that was supported by a significant number of citizens and was important for public safety. Enforcement of this is difficult in all locations where fireworks are banned but it gets better as the years go on. There are always some fireworks used that are illegal by State law but that appears to be limited.
Lake Forest Park (LFP) passed their ordinance on 3/25/99 and it became effective on May 1, 1999. Being a smaller and heavily wooded community, enforcement in LFP has been a little easier than Kenmore."

On 8/12/10, Grace A. Steuart, Fire Marshal, Kirkland Fire Department, posted:

     "The reasons for banning fireworks were not unique to Kirkland. However, these were the general reasons . . . for enacting our ban in 1998:
     We teach and constantly remind our children about the importance of not playing with lighters, matches, fire, chemicals, and other hazardous materials, but on July 4, many families buy and use fireworks with and around their children. This sends a mixed message.
     Each year, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks, even legal (the so-called “safe and sane”) fireworks.
     Fireworks cause fires due to either accidental misuse or deliberate abuse. During dry conditions, the danger of wild land and forest fires increases dramatically. Each year, throughout the nation, property damage in the millions of dollars can be directly attributed to fireworks.
     Each year, local animal shelters fill up with pets that have panicked and run away from their homes due to being frightened by fireworks.
     Each year, firefighters are injured or killed in vehicle accidents while responding to fires or while fighting fires. If the fire turns out to have been caused by fireworks, that injury or death would be a totally preventable tragedy.
     Each year, while firefighters respond to one incident, they are then unavailable to respond to other incidents. If the initial incident turns out to have been caused by fireworks, then that delayed response to the next incident is totally preventable.
     Every year, fire departments have to add staff in anticipation of fireworks calls. Taxpayers must pay for these additional city staff and/or overtime.
     Enforcement of the ban does remain a problem, in that it is often difficult to report to police the exact location of where fireworks are being used illegally. However, most people are law abiding and will obey the ban. Publicizing the ban, and giving people other options such as a public fireworks display to attend, does help with reduction of fireworks use. The fact is, the number of fireworks incidents to which our fire department responds now has been significantly reduced from the years before our ban was enacted."

On 9/17/10, Lynn Sjolander, Assistant Fire Marshal, Redmond Fire Department, posted:

"Our ordinance was passed under an emergency situation" in 1992 "due to the hot dry weather. The City of Redmond and other cities around the State had been discussing the ban of fireworks. At that time, if an emergency was not declared, you needed to wait a year to enact the Ordinance.
Since our ban was enacted we have had a dramatic reduction in fireworks related EMS and Fire calls. Before the 4th of July, we remind the citizens of the ban through newspaper and our local TV and Radio spots. Our enforcement of the ban is only in response to a 911 call or citizen complaint."

On 8/13/10, John Norris, Management Analyst, City Manager's Office, City of Shoreline, posted:

     "The City's ban was enacted by City Council Ordinance No. 141 on October 27, 1997.
     Generally, the ban was instituted due to the risk of fire and other public safety issues caused by fireworks, as well as the numerous noise complaints the City was receiving from residents. The City of Shoreline only incorporated as a City two years earlier in 1995, so this was one of the early issues that the City addressed after hearing from many concerned citizens. As well, our local fire district adopted a resolution urging the City Council to adopt a ban for the above mentioned reasons.
     As for enforcement, in the early years after the ban was enacted, our Police Department did spend a lot of time on enforcement, but as the years have gone on and the law has become more and more ingrained into one of the norms of our community, enforcement has been less of an issue that we must put a heavy focus on. With that being said, we still do have our police provide a few extra patrols around the 4th of July."

On 9/10/10, Eric Drever, Commander - Patrol Division, Tukwila Police Department, posted:

"The ban on fireworks was enacted in 1996 after public concern arose about the safety (or lack thereof) regarding the ignition of fireworks within the City limits.

As far as enforcement has gone. I have noticed a significant decrease in the ignition of fireworks within the City since the law was enacted several years ago. We still have people that will ignite fireworks, but the number of incidents has significantly dropped."

On 8/19/10, Joe Meinecke, PIO/Organizational Planning, Tacoma Fire Department, posted:

     "The City of Tacoma has banned fireworks since 1993.
     Fundamentally, the reasoning behind the ban has been public safety. The notion that using fireworks is dangerous is supported both anecdotally and statistically. Here in Tacoma, our urban density, ageing population, usually dry summers, unsupervised youth and our cultures’ growing fascination with taking greater risks all contribute to supporting the ban. Unfortunately, not all of our citizen’s share this belief and the ban has not completely eliminated fireworks usage in our City.
      Towards that end, we have tried two models for enforcement. In the early 2000’s Tacoma Fire Department began an education and confiscation patrol program in an attempt to further reduce fireworks violations. Frankly, this model proved to be too dangerous to our un-armed fire personnel and our city began to explore moving the enforcement efforts under our Police Department. In 2007, the City Council voted to make fireworks violations a civil infraction, subject to a $257 dollar fine and the confiscation of the fireworks (as opposed to a criminal infraction). Tacoma Police Department have been increasing their patrols the last three years and this year they issued 64 tickets for fireworks violations. Tacoma Fire Department provides an annual educational information campaign about the ban and the dangers of fireworks. The current practice of Tacoma Police patrols and Tacoma Fire’s educational efforts appear to be an effective method of enforcing the ban."

On 8/25/10, Richard Curtis, Fire Chief, Anacortes Fire Department, posted:

Anacortes does "have a complete ban on fireworks in the City. We have had a number of complaints to the City Council over the years, and a few fireworks related fires. Most incidents had to do with the use of illegal fireworks, mostly bottle rockets. Unfortunately, this problem for our community is magnified because of the ease of obtaining illegal fireworks from the Swinomish Reservation retail site . . . just a couple of miles away.
We enacted the ban in 2004, but preceding that, we attempted to restrict the use first, before implementing a total ban. First, we restricted the discharge of legal fireworks to one day, July 4th; and then restricted the discharge to areas no closer than 500 feet to forest lands. We also curtailed permits for retail stands in the City. We also adopted and bolstered the public display for the community in order to reduce the motivation for neighborhood displays. We introduced some public education and enforcement, but the overwhelming use of legal and illegal fireworks continued. We finally banned them in 2004. Overall the amount of fireworks discharged in the City was and continues to be less than before the ban, but it hasn't been completely successful. I believe enforcement is difficult due to simply locating the violators . . ."

On 8/19/10, Glen H. Staheli, Fire Chief, Burlington Fire Chief, posted:

"Burlington has enjoyed a complete ban on the use or sale of fireworks within the city limits for several years. The ban was originally proposed by a member of the City Council. After a modicum of debate the Council passed the resolution to ban. We have experienced no enforcement problems. Fireworks injuries and fireworks-caused fires have diminished to the point that none have been reported in the last two years."

On 8/18/10, Steve Sherman, Fire Marshal, Mountlake Terrace, posted:

     "I can provide a little history on the fireworks ban effort. Several Cities around us were already banned when Mountlake Terrace successfully passed a ban.
     As the Mountlake Terrace Fire Marshal, I tried two times to achieve a ban and my predecessor had also tried on one separate occasion. We were not successful in these three attempts. However, in my opinion, the successful effort was an endeavor made by concerned citizens who had quite frankly had enough. I also think the impact of neighboring jurisdictions with a ban (Edmonds, Woodway, Mukilteo, Mill creek, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline) increased Mountlake Terraces’ exposure to consumer fireworks. Fire and Police leadership with the support of the City Manager simply provided venues and facilitated public discussions, we then drafted the ordinance based on this community input and our call history.
     As the Fire Department representative during the effort I cannot stress enough the importance of the partnership with our Law Enforcement leadership."

On 8/18/10, Shane Hope, AICP Community and Economic Development Director, City of Mountlake Terrace, posted:

     "The ban enacted was in 2006. Because of state law, such bans cannot take effect for at least one year after adoption. Therefore, our city’s ban went into effect the following year, 2007.
     It was enacted because of concerns from (a) local residents regarding both safety and noise and (b) fire officials regarding safety—i.e., personal injuries and fire damage. A minor issue (though still a factor) was the resources needed for the City’s clean-up of the fireworks debris (from people using fireworks and leaving the mess). When the ban was being considered, residents stated that the fireworks use was like living in a war zone.
     The ban has been successful. While occasional fireworks are still let off (illegally), the number of incidents are few and the level of accidents and noise are down significantly. For example, this year after the 4^th of July, our fire district (which serves multiple communities) reported that it received 14 calls related to fireworks damage in communities that did not have fireworks bans. In Mountlake Terrace, the Fire District had no calls (zero) related to fireworks."

On 8/20/10, Jerry Davis, Chief, Selah Fire Department, posted:

"Fireworks have been banned in Selah since 1996. We passed the Rule change in 1995, but any local rules that are more restrictive than the state law have an effective date of one year after adoption.
Our ban was in conjunction with the City of Yakima and Yakima County. We still have 3 or 4 small cities in the County that allow safe and sane fireworks in their city limits on the 4th only. We went from having 25 plus fires around the July holiday to zero calls now. They are still sold on the Indian reservation, but the tribe and Yakima County Fire District #5 put on training each year to tribal stand owners that they must attend to be allowed a permit. We still do county-wide education and a lot of no fireworks allowed signs to educate the public. We still hear them going off, but less and less over the years. Our citizens realize that they live in a semi-arid desert area and are finally using common sense. Also the Cities of Selah and Yakima were taken to court in the early 90’s, prior to an outright ban when we greatly restricted the days and hours of fireworks discharge. It was upheld by the State Supreme Court, which led to our ban a few years later."