Ridgefield City Manager Steve Stuart claims Vancouver’s ban did not impact Ridgefield fireworks, but he is wrong. Our neighborhood, near North 45th Avenue, was like a war zone — July 3 and 4 alone had non-stop professional-grade fireworks that continued past 12:30 a.m. I picked up handfuls of fireworks paper, pieces of rocket shafts and plugs in my front and rear yards.
Our dog spent several nights hiding and shaking with fear. I imagine other pets, livestock, elderly and infants also suffered. For what? So inconsiderate individuals can explode things?
Ridgefield is not the small town it once was. It grows at an alarming rate. Noise and pollution around the Fourth will increase. City managers should wake up and adopt realistic guidelines. Currently, fireworks are legal from June 29 through July 5. I challenge Ridgefield’s city council to explain why fireworks are allowed for seven days. Ridgefield needs to look at Camas (fireworks only July 3 and 4) and Washougal (July 4 only) as examples of responsible guidelines. They also need to re-evaluate the types of fireworks.
On July 5, a fireworks-related fire damaged a Clark County councilor’s home near Ridgefield. Is Ridgefield going to wake up or will they wait for a tragedy?
