Flathead County ready to ban fireworks

The Flathead County commissioners will decide Thursday whether to ban the use of fireworks in the county.

And the Whitefish City Council will hold an emergency meeting this morning to vote on a proposal to ban fireworks in the city for 90 days.

Lake, Lincoln and Missoula counties all banned fireworks on Tuesday.

The moves comes during unseasonably high potential for wildfire starts heading into the Fourth of July weekend.

Thursday’s Flathead County agenda would include a proposal to prohibit the use of fireworks in the county. Public comments will be taken at 9 a.m. followed by a vote on the proposed fireworks ban at 9:15 a.m.

Commissioners Pam Holmquist and Phil Mitchell told the Daily Inter Lake Tuesday they would vote for the ban, which won’t affect public fireworks displays.

Earlier Tuesday, Flathead County Fire Chiefs Association Chairman Craig Williams sent a letter to the commissioners urging them to ban fireworks.

“The Flathead County Fire Chiefs Association unanimously passed a motion on June 29, 2015 to request the Flathead County Commissioners to prohibit the use of fireworks in Flathead County effective immediately and to continue until the period of unprecedented high temperatures, extremely low fuel moistures and high probability of fuel ignition factors subside,” the letter reads. “This decision was not made lightly, with the safety of the public and of firefighters and the protection of private and public property being paramount.”

The commissioners’ resolution also will include the adoption of Stage 1 fire restrictions. Those restrictions do not normally prohibit the use of fireworks.

Holmquist said the ban won’t affect the sale of fireworks.

Mitchell said he urged his fellow commissioners to move toward passing a resolution banning fireworks after hearing about the potential danger from fire officials.

There has been mounting public pressure to ban fireworks. Mitchell and Holmquist acknowledged they’ve gotten a number of emails and phone calls from concerned citizens.

“We’re getting phone calls about banning; people are concerned and we understand their concerns,” Holmquist said, adding that this morning she arrived at her office to find eight phone messages and 13 emails related to the issue.

“Next Tuesday at 8:30 [a.m.] we will have another fire meeting to see if we need to move to Stage 2,” Mitchell said. “That will be a real fight because it basically shuts the forest down.”

At 9 a.m. today, the Whitefish City Council will decide whether to ban the use of fireworks within city limits for up to 90 days.

In normal years, the city allows the use of fireworks July 2-4 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Following public comments, the council will vote on an emergency ordinance, requiring at least a two-thirds vote to pass. The ordinance refers to elevated fire risk and potential impacts to air quality.

The emergency ordinance would not affect the city’s annual fireworks display over Whitefish Lake. Violations would result in a $300 fine for the first offense and a $500 fine and up to six months imprisonment for subsequent offenses.

The Lincoln County commissioners voted Tuesday morning to ban the use of fireworks in that county.

“This seems un-American,” Lincoln County Commissioner Mark Peck said. “I’m a Fourth of July nut, but we’ve got unprecedented fire potential and it’s not getting any better.

“We consulted with several fire chiefs, the Forest Service and the DNRC [Department of Natural Resources and Conservation] and it is just way too much potential. We’re supposed to be in the mid to high 90s with low humidity. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Peck said the commissioners didn’t make the decision lightly because they realize it impacts not only groups but also individuals who purchase and sell fireworks.

The city of Troy’s annual fireworks display is not affected by Lincoln County’s ban. That show is scheduled at dusk on Saturday, organizer Jody Petersen confirmed.

“Our [Troy] Fire Department puts on the fireworks” and has fire trucks and equipment onsite at Roosevelt Park in Troy, Petersen said. City water trucks were spraying water at the park on Tuesday and will continue to soak down the area until show time, she said.

The U.S. Forest Service will have a fire trailer at the Troy park to hand out fire safety information, Petersen added.

All Northwest Montana counties will enter Stage 1 fire restrictions beginning Thursday at midnight, along with an increase to a “very high” fire danger in Flathead County.

Fire officials representing emergency response agencies met Tuesday morning to discuss the worsening fire situation, according to Lincoln Chute, Fire Service Area manager for Flathead County.

“The fires that we have run on are extremely hard to fight because they are so dry. They’re not quickly and easily extinguished, so we’re seeing a very rapid buildup in fire,” Chute said after the meeting. “And the extended forecast doesn’t help.”

Temperatures in the 90s are predicted through the Fourth of July, with no rain in the forecast.

The restrictions affect Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, and Sanders counties, including all private, state, and federally managed lands (National Forest, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Fire restrictions also go into effect on Bob Marshall Wilderness lands within Flathead National Forest.

Under Stage 1, fires are prohibited except in developed recreation sites and smoking is allowed only in areas cleared of flammable materials. 

Exemptions include fires fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG or other activities for which there are permits or written authorization.

In the wilderness, completely contained wood stoves with fire screens or spark arresters are allowed instead of campfires

Chute recommended against having backyard campfires when wind is present and making sure the surrounding grass is cut, watered and cleared of any flammable material. Fully extinguish any fires by dousing them with water and stirring the ashes.

With firefighters still getting the Glacier Rim Fire up the North Fork under control, Chute referred to that fire that started Saturday as an example of how easily new starts can evolve from a stray spark or ember.

“A fire spotted almost a mile away” from the main fire, he said. “An ember flew through the air, over the North Fork Road, over the Flathead River and landed in Glacier National Park and actually started a fire.”

He said fire crews had gotten the secondary flare-up under control, but it underscores the probability that a single spark could have catastrophic consequences, given the dry conditions. Before the commissioners began considering a ban, he was already recommending against private fireworks use this year.

Still, there’s no question that many people were planning otherwise, and have already made their holiday purchases.

“I just tell people, keep your fireworks and have a really big New Year’s Eve with them,” suggested Chute. “Go see the big shows this year.”

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

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.