As fireworks stands in portions of Clark County open today, it is important for residents to be aware of local laws governing pyrotechnics.
State law dictates that fireworks may be sold beginning at noon today, but restrictions are in place in many areas as citizens prepare for Fourth of July celebrations. Within the city of Vancouver, for example, sales are not allowed until July 2, and other jurisdictions have similar limitations.
Then there is a variety of regulations governing the use of personal fireworks. The Vancouver City Council earlier this year unanimously voted to prohibit fireworks — a restriction that will take effect in 2017. And the Clark County council has placed a dividing line across the middle of the county, with different rules for north of 219th Street vs. south of 219th — a split that goes into effect this year. In Vancouver this year, fireworks use is allowed from 9 a.m. to midnight only on July 4; in more rural portions of unincorporated Clark County, fireworks use is allowed beginning today.
Throughout the imposition of these rules, there has been robust debate about the reach of government in balancing personal freedom against the collective good. It is a debate that touches upon the very meaning of the Fourth of July, a holiday that celebrates the formation of the United States as a beacon of individual rights. The question becomes one that weighs personal freedom against the individual right to endanger or annoy neighbors — and there are no simple answers.
The Vancouver City Council considered putting increased restrictions in front of voters before opting to adopt those restrictions without a public vote. The defense of such limitations is evident in the toll that personal fireworks have taken upon the community. Last year, investigators determined that fireworks sparked four structure fires, set a vehicle ablaze, and caused 14 fires in landscaping and brush. The fires resulted in $574,000 worth of damage, and the Vancouver Fire Department paid $107,000 in overtime in late June and early July — much of it due to personal fireworks. Throughout the rest of the county, fireworks caused more than $250,000 in damage.
In addition, there have been a growing number of complaints about persistent, obtrusive noise caused by pyrotechnics in the days surrounding the holiday, and many residents have expressed concern about how troublesome that noise is to pets or people bothered by explosions.
Washington long has had more lax fireworks laws than many states, including Oregon to the south. For years, this has resulted in Oregon residents coming to Vancouver to purchase explosives that are unavailable in their state — a tactic that will be unavailable beginning next year.
Meanwhile, as local residents prepare for a last-of-its-kind celebration this year, they should be mindful of proper safety precautions. Among those: Fireworks should be lit from atop asphalt or concrete, and spent fireworks should be placed in water for some time before being discarded. Also, officials warn that fireworks and alcohol can be a dangerous combination.
But the most important warning, perhaps, comes from Clark County Fire Marshal Jon Dunaway, who told The Columbian: “Being a good neighbor can’t be regulated. Be a good neighbor, communicate what you’re doing. Just try and be as cooperative with each other as you can.”
