Authorities mixed on fireworks

Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas officials are responding to extremely dry condition by doing everything from urging extreme caution to banning fireworks outright as the Fourth of July approaches.

The city has experienced one firework-related fire since it became legal to sell and discharge them last week.

Fire Chief Marc Harpham said that fire was extinguished by a neighbor before fire department arrived at the scene.

Harpham told the McCook City Council Monday night that the community needed to be commended for its caution and approach to Independence Day celebrations during such a dry and hot season.

Harpham said he had received several calls inquiring about a fireworks ban, and he planned to research a provision for next year that would allow the mayor to implement such a ban.

Harpham said he had been advised against such a ban by the State Fire Marshall, who cautioned that when officials ban the discharge of fireworks, citizens tends to use them in less visible and more dangerous locations, causing even more fires in more difficult to reach places.

Harpham said the rural fire department had also looked into implementing such a ban and similarly decided to develop options for next year.

Red Willow Western Rural Fire Chief Bill Elliott told the Gazette Monday that although his department had experienced a high number of fire calls over the weekend, only one was attributed to fireworks.

The majority of the weekends rural fires were attributed to lightning strikes according to Elliott, who said that the rural areas were so dry this year that he hoped area residents confined their 4th of July celebrations to the city.

Harpham finished his report to the council by reiterating his firework safety priorities, which emphasize the presence of adult supervision and having water available when discharging fireworks.

"A bucket of water or a water hose nearby," said Harpham, who joked that given the recent water restrictions the water hose should not be left on.

It will be legal to light fireworks only until 11 p.m. today, 8 a.m. to midnight Wednesday and 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. Thursday.

After that, it will be illegal to light fireworks until New Years.

Decatur County, Kansas, commissioners and City of Oberlin officials banned the sale and discharge of fireworks in Decatur County and in Oberlin, effective June 27.

Because of hot weather, the lack of rain and the threat of fire, commissioners and city officials declared a local disaster emergency described in Kansas law No. 48-932.

Violation of the ban will be a misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail and/or a fine of $2,500.

The ban is in effect until it is dissolved by the governing bodies.

Rawlins County, Kansas, commissioners have banned fireworks and open burning. Commissioner Charles Walker gave the road and bridge supervisor permission to use the county road graders to fight fires if they're needed, according to the Rawlins County Square Deal newspaper.

In Nebraska, some fire officials are banning fireworks:

* Hitchcock County fire chief Rich Sensel bans private fireworks on the fairgrounds before and during the time that firefighters light off the big display. "The grass on the fairgrounds is so dry that if a fire started among all those cars, we couldn't get it under control fast enough. If you start a fire, you will be held accountable," Sensel said.

* Benkelman fire chief Relgene Zimbelman has banned the sale and discharge of fireworks. "These are the worst conditions I've seen since becoming fire chief," Zimbelman told the Benkelman Post newspaper.

* The City of Cambridge and the Cambridge-area rural fire district have banned the sale and discharge of fireworks within the city and fire district. Any violation of the ban will result in a $100 fine.