GC commissioners decline emergency fireworks ban

EPHRATA — Grant County commissioners on Monday declined to impose an emergency ban on the sale or discharge of fireworks in unincorporated parts of the county in advance of the Fourth of July holiday.

Last week, county fire marshal Nathan Poplawski asked commissioners Kevin Burgess, Cindy Carter, and Rob Jones to consider the immediate adoption of an emergency order prohibiting consumer fireworks due to “the present extreme fire danger period.”

“Prompt action will reduce preventable ignitions, lessen demand on fire districts and mutual-aid partners, and better protect the public during the highest-risk portion of the fire season,” Poplawski wrote in a June 23 letter to commissioners.

The proposed emergency ban would not apply to licensed pyrotechnicians conducting commercial firework shows.

Poplawski reiterated his concerns this Monday morning during a workshop session with the commissioners, county prosecutor Brandon Guernsey and chief civil deputy Trevor Bevier, and county development services director Jim Anderson-Cook.

Poplawski acknowledged that banning fireworks “is never easy,” particularly with the nation’s 250th birthday celebration pending on Saturday. But he felt a ban was warranted due to extremely dry conditions, abundant fuel, low humidity, recent high winds, and numerous local and regional wildfires which have already closed roadways and spurred evacuations, including a state park.

But Carter, in response, said “It’s always been hot, it’s always been dry” in the county this time of year. And imposing a local sales ban does not stop people from purchasing fireworks elsewhere and setting them off here, she said.

Burgess said he checked with a few local fire chiefs and officials in Douglas and Stevens counties who “didn’t seem concerned” that conditions this year seemed more extreme than in prior years. 

Jones, noting that parts of Grant County just experienced a cool, rainy weekend, said it might be “the worst day ever to have this conversation.”

Two Moses Lake-based fireworks sellers, Elliott Goodrich and Jacob Jones, also opposed a ban.

Jacob Jones said he tells customers to follow safety precautions in discharging fireworks. He also thought individuals, fearing liability, might be less inclined to call for help if they sparked a fire requiring an emergency response while a ban was in place.

Carter mused it “would be great if the governor stepped in and banned fireworks” statewide, while acknowledging that would still not stop their use.

Poplawski said an existing county ordinance provided few options and he suggested considering a rewrite that offered more discretion in the future. “This year, the only tool is a ban,” he said, later telling the commissioners, “I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t bring this to you.”

Carter said she was grateful for that, noting there were “so many different components” to the issue. Burgess was receptive to looking at a revised ordinance, but it was noted that any future changes would not take effect until the following year. 

In a statement issued after Monday’s work session, the commissioners said they and the fire marshal were “urging the people of Grant County to make smart choices for themselves and their neighbors.”

The county currently prohibits fireworks in several designated areas and those bans remain in effect in the unincorporated areas of Marine View and Marine View Heights, Crescent Bar, Desert Aire (except Desert Aire Park), the Gorge Amphitheater and the Gorge Campground.

Regulations governing fireworks sales and use vary among incorporated cities and towns in the county.

The state fire marshal’s office has issued the approved dates and times of legal sales and use of fireworks in Washington during the Independence Day and New Year’s Day holidays.