Fire/fireworks dilemma

Record heat, dry spells and long-gone snowpack are making conditions unseasonably crispy — and ripe for fire — in and around the Flathead Valley.

And the Fourth of July season has begun with fireworks stands opening across the county.

Although fire officials are concerned about the upcoming fireworks festivities, the possibility of county restrictions on the celebration appear remote.

Flathead County commissioners say they are not inclined to restrict fireworks use, although they noted that some residents had contacted them expressing concerns. Numerous callers to the Daily Inter Lake on Thursday wondered why the county is allowing fireworks sales and use.

During media fire training at the Flathead County 911 Dispatch Center Wednesday, Smith Valley Fire Chief D.C. Haas recommended that people not use fireworks on the Fourth of July, encouraging residents to instead visit public fireworks displays.

“We don’t want to burn down Flathead County, we don’t want to have smoke in the air,” Haas said. “We’re seeing record highs and record dry fuels.”

Other fire managers from the local to federal levels agreed that fireworks could pose unusually serious problems this year.

Flathead National Forest Fire Management Officer Rick Connell noted that while Independence Day fireworks aren’t usually a big problem in normal, wetter years, it’s different this time around.

“The public looks out there and they think, ‘green grass,’ they don’t think, ‘high fire danger,’” Connell said. “If everyone would be responsible, that’s what we’re really asking people to do. Yes, you’re going to have fireworks, but just be very careful this year.”

A press release from the forest’s spokeswoman on Thursday underscored that concern.

“When conditions are this dry, fires have the potential to grow quickly, putting firefighters in high-risk situations,” the release stated. “However, the numbers of human-caused fires are a determining factor in implementing restrictions.”

Fire emergency managers noted that they would be step up staffing and coverage of their jurisdictions heading into the weekend.

Creston Fire Chief Gary Mahugh agreed that this year’s Fourth of July will be a lot different from prior years. Even in 2003 — a particularly rough wildfire season when more than 310,000 acres burned in Northwest Montana — the North Fork’s Wedge Canyon Fire that kicked off that summer of fire didn’t start until July 18.

“This year is very different from those years,” Mahugh said Wednesday. “Our fire seasons have started in the second or third week of August in normal years.

Only the Flathead County commissioners have the power to impose fireworks restrictions, such as banning fireworks that launch flaming projectiles into the air.

However, none of the commissioners said they have begun considering the possibility of politically delicate fireworks restrictions or bans.

Commissioners Pam Holmquist and Gary Krueger both said they had were not actively discussing it, emphasizing they would need to hear those requests from fire officials before they consider such an action.

“I would weigh what the fire chief had to say, but I’m patriotic — the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday,” Krueger said. “At some point, if this continues, we will have some kind of fire restrictions, and that may be before the Fourth or after the Fourth and may include fireworks or it may not.”

He noted that even if the county attempted such a ban, enforcement would be difficult if not impossible.

Fellow Commissioner Phil Mitchell said Wednesday that he didn’t think it was dry enough at this point to warrant restrictions.

“On the fireworks thing, I don’t think it’s an issue at this point,” he said. “I don’t think it’s that dry, but that’s just my opinion. ... If the fire marshals or the people that work in the fire arena, that look at fires, ask us to do it, we would consider it.”

The Flathead County Association of Fire Chiefs has the power to make that recommendation. Mahugh noted that fire chiefs will meet Monday night to discuss current fire hazards and said fireworks would be a topic of discussion.

However, Nikki Stephan, the county’s emergency management planner, said she does not expect the local fire officials to push the issue to the commissioners, instead focusing on public appeals through the news media to encourage people to be safe during their celebrations.

The association’s meeting will come after a “tabletop discussion” the commissioners will hold at 2 p.m. Monday with regional fire officials. Krueger said they plan to discuss fire risks headed into the Fourth of July weekend and run through emergency scenarios requiring multiple agencies interacting.

Haas noted that the local chiefs take their cues from state and federal wildland agencies, which have more expertise and resources to determine how much of a risk fireworks could pose.

Standing in front of a line of fire engines from local fire departments on Wednesday, Haas made his appeal for common sense to local television cameras. He asked that those who decide to shoot off fireworks exercise more caution in light of the unusual conditions.

For example, be prepared to extinguish an unintended fire by making sure all flames and sparks are out, and have a hose, bucket of water and shovel ready to deal with any flare-ups, he said.

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.