ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The 4th of July holiday is right around the corner, and with that in mind, many people will be buying fireworks as part of their celebrations.
For those who will be purchasing fireworks, Liberal Fire Chief Kelly Kirk said there are a few precautions to keep in mind.
“Probably the best advice I can give is if everyone will play by the rules and abide by the ordinance in place, things should go well for those who want to discharge fireworks as part of their celebration and for those who choose not to discharge fireworks,” Kirk said. “This is the third full year under the most recent revision of the fireworks ordinance – it was adopted in 2018, then revised in 2019 and then revised again to its most current status in 2021. The sale of fireworks in town will begin June 27, and vendors can sell from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. until July 3, and then they can sell from 8 a.m. to midnight July 4. The discharge dates are July 3 (8 to 11 p.m.), 4 (8 p.m. to midnight) and 5 (8 to 11 p.m.) The biggest issue we face, and the most common complaint we receive from the public, is people discharging fireworks far beyond the hours allowed in the ordinance. This year, the holiday itself falls on a Thursday, with the other two days being weekdays, so a lot of people will still have to get up for work in the mornings.”
Kirk also talked about some of the more frequent complaints associated with the holiday.
“We don't really get any complaints about early discharging, but we definitely get complaints about people discharging fireworks until the wee hours of the morning, and that causes issues for us,” Kirk said. “Another frequent complaint we get is the litter – once the fireworks are shot off, they're left in the street and not disposed of properly, or the debris has made its way onto a neighboring property. The noise is a big issue, especially for a lot of veterans who don't tolerate such noises well, and I've heard many stories from people about their pets suffering basically that entire week because they're so sensitive to the constant noise from the fireworks going off. In fact, there have even been stories about pets getting so stressed and anxious from the constant noise, they've died. We just encourage people to play by the rules and abide by the ordinance as far as the hours of sale and discharge, and that way, it'll be a relatively happy holiday for everyone. We allow fireworks to be discharged on those days not just because it's the holiday itself, but also because of potential inclement weather and other such circumstances that could prevent celebrations from taking place like normal. We'd also rather people go ahead and shoot off their fireworks instead of saving some for the next year, because that could potentially cause a whole other set of problems.”
For those who want to see the full ordinance, Kirk said it is easily available.
“If people want to know what all the ordinance includes, I would welcome them to visit http://www.cityofliberal.org/DocumentCenter/View/1659/4555-Fireworks-Ordinance-042721?bidId=. The vendors are also given a copy of the ordinance so they know what they can and can't sell, and our inspectors are pretty thorough when working with them,” Kirk said. “The ordinance also allows for other public displays, which we have had happen before. Anything that can be purchased in Liberal from a vendor is legal, and again, we're pretty thorough when we do our inspections of the inventory and all of that. I know our neighboring states have different laws as far as what's legal to discharge, but in Kansas, we do not allow firecrackers bigger than the M80s or bottle rockets or sky lanterns. There are also weather provisions, including an emergency ban provision, which we did have to enact in 2020 because this area was just so, so dry – there had been some good moisture up to a certain point, but that was immediately followed by a string of hot days and high winds, which dried everything out REALLY quickly, so we had to pull the plug for that year. And if conditions were ever like that again, I don't think we'd hesitate to enact that provision again. The fines for any violations could range from $100 and/or up to 90 days in prison depending on the severity of the circumstances.”
Like every other holiday gathering, Kirk said there are a few safety precautions people should take in regards to their fireworks.
“The advice is the same as every other year. Never light anything off indoors, and if there are children around, make sure there's adult supervision,” Kirk said. “Setting fireworks isn't really too different from a controlled burn, so we'd also recommend having a water source nearby, even if it's something as simple as a garden hose or a bucket of water. Always light the fireworks on an even and stable platform – there have been some instances where a person had something set up on a not fully stable surface before getting knocked over and being discharged somewhere they didn't want it to go. Also, always make sure you're in a wide and open area – you're not allowed to shoot on public property or public roads, it has to be on YOUR property, unless you have permission. Light off fireworks one at a time and if there's some type of malfunction, don't try to relight it, just cross it off as a dud. Like anything else, if people will just take a couple extra simple precautions, everyone should have a good time.”
With the ordinance only being a few years old, Kirk said the 4th of July holidays have been pretty smooth so far.
“From the LFD standpoint, anytime we're running on fires, it's not a good thing, and there are always costs and damages involved. For the most part though, aside from the public complaints, it's been as good in town as can be expected, and there hasn't really been anything super serious that's happened,” Kirk said. “The main thing is we've had just a large quantity. Last year, we dealt with a spate of dumpster fires back-to-back-to-back – in fact, there was one point when we were responding to a dumpster fire and had to stop on the way to battle a different dumpster fire. We've had two residences that suffered damage, including a roof needing replacement and siding needing to be replaced after a grass fire, and there have been a couple small fence fires we've dealt with. As far as injuries, the hospital would have those numbers more on hand, but from the LFD standpoint, like I said, things have gone as well as could be expected. However, I will say that increase in calls can be a strain because we're dealing with not only the regular daily routine calls that come, but then we also have to deal with the fireworks calls and all of that, and it all REALLY adds up really quickly. A lot of people don't realize when we respond to a call, we have to document the dollar loss, and that can also add up really quickly. And then as far as staffing, we don't increase our staffing in the stations for the 4th of July, we have six personnel on duty at the three stations, and we have to rely on the dedication of our off-duty people in case a situation arises. People don't realize just how quickly we can be overworked and stretched, so if everyone just stays safe, it'll help not only them, but us as well as a department.”
Overall, Kirk said, he hopes everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July holiday.
“It's really easy to show respect and courtesy to those around you. We've put the ordinance together in such a way that, if the community would just follow it, there shouldn't be any major issues, and that common courtesy should already be there,” Kirk said. “Think about how you'd feel if there was a bunch of unwanted noise and debris from your neighbors that was disturbing you – if you wouldn't like it, your neighbors probably won't either, so just show that respect. Fireworks today are a lot safer than they were even just a decade ago, but there are still hazards to keep in mind. Stay within the discharge hours and be sure and clean up after yourself, and everyone should be relatively happy. Overall, we encourage everyone, whether they discharge fireworks or not as part of their holiday celebrations, to have a safe and happy holiday and be careful with everything.”
