ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The Independence Day holiday is right around the corner, and many people are planning on including fireworks as part of their celebrations.

With that in mind, Liberal Fire Chief Kelly Kirk said there are some safety precautions to keep in mind.

“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. “We allow fireworks to be sold in town, and if you can buy them here in town, they're legal to shoot here in town, so that should keep people away from the illegal fireworks. It’s also important to be aware of your surroundings. If you’re going to shoot off fireworks, shoot them in a place with stable ground, and make sure they're out before you dispose of them. This year, we've partnered with the State Fire Marshal's Office, and we're doing a Bucket Brigade drive where we got local donors to bring us five gallon buckets, and they’ve got a Bucket Brigade sticker from the State Fire Marshal's Office. People can pick those up at the station or City Hall, and that'll aid in keeping some water handy and being able to soak your fireworks before you dispose of them, which should help cut down on dumpster fires and other nuisance fires that can be more prominent around the Fourth of July. So there's that. As far as shooting, people can't shoot fireworks on public property such as parks or parking lots of businesses. We also highly emphasize, do not go in the middle of the street and light fireworks, they need to be lit on personal property, like your driveway or sidewalk, or someplace like that. Never light anything off indoors, and if there are children around, make sure there's adult supervision.”

Proper disposal after the holiday is also important, Kirk said.

“Don't dispose of fireworks right away – don't discharge them and take them straight to the dumpster and put them in there, because simply the cardboard will smolder for quite some time, so we really ideally would recommend people pile them up in a tidy place, like a bucket filled with water, and let them sit overnight and throw them away the next day to ensure they're out,” Kirk said. “We do see an increase in dumpster fires every year from those happening, and of course a dumpster fire can spread to something else. 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, so be courteous and have a plan to clean up after yourself.”

Kirk added the city ordinance regarding fireworks is very clear about what is allowed and not allowed.

“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.”

Kirk said he and the LFD staff will be ready to respond to all calls that weekend.

“We know, based on what we’ve seen in the past, we'll see a slight uptick in the types of calls we get,” Kirk said. “As I've said at past city commission meetings, we'll probably see more grass fires, more outdoor fires involving like fences, outbuildings, dumpster fires, and calls like that, and we’ll also still have to handle the routine calls that come in on a daily basis. We don't have any special things for that night, we don't upgrade our staffing. With how our model works, we have six firefighters for each shift, so we'll just have our regular numbers as far as all of that. For the public fireworks show after the Bee Jays game, there will be a few of us on hand to provide any assistance, but that's really the only thing that happens beyond our normal operations for that night. We try to pay attention to what all is going on, but we also have to make sure we're not taking on too much, because that will spread us really thin and potentially cause some issues as far as us being able to respond.”

Kirk also encouraged people to be respectful of their neighbors that weekend.

“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, Kirk said, he hopes the community has a safe and happy Independence Day holiday.

“Help us help you be careful with what you're doing up there, be mindful of your surroundings and respectful of your neighbors,” Kirk said. “We would love it if the community will come and take advantage of the Bucket Brigade program, we'll give one bucket per family. And if anyone has any questions at all, we're always open. Don't hesitate to call us, and we'll be glad to talk to you and work with you.”