There’s a scene in the miniseries “Band of Brothers” in the Ardennes Forest where First Sgt. Carwood Lipton is laughing while he compares the German shelling to the Fourth of July fireworks back home. Once the shelling stops, he isn’t laughing anymore because two of his best friends have lost their legs and another soldier is trapped in a foxhole.
Fast forward to Vancouver in 2023 and tell me something has changed. Short-staffed firefighters and police officers are overwhelmed dealing with “illegal” fireworks calls, brush fires caused by “illegal” fireworks, house fires caused by “illegal” fireworks. Should I go on?
My challenge to the Clark County councilors is simple. Spend one shift answering the Clark County fireworks complaint line, or one shift listening to 911 calls at CRESA. The people calling in are angry, fearful and frustrated. They’re fed up with their neighborhoods sounding like war zones. (Are you seeing any comparisons to the war show?) And that’s not to mention the veterans suffering from PTSD.
These comparisons are why fireworks of all types should be banned in Clark County. The days of “safe and sane” fireworks have long since passed.
