The City of Bend banned fireworks last year. Will Redmond follow suit?
The Redmond City Council will hear from experts Tuesday about the upcoming fire season, fire danger and fireworks. And they want to hear from the public.
The 6:00 p.m. discussion about fireworks at Redmond City Hall, which is open to the public, is a continuation of two years of discussion with local first responders.
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What’s different this time around is the council having the conversation earlier in the calendar year.
“A lot of times when people use their fireworks, they try to do the right thing and clean up the mess,” said Tom Mooney, Redmond Fire Marshal. “They throw them in the trash or they throw them in a dumpster and cause a fire in the dumpster. Or the firework gets away from them and lands in a bush and catches that on fire.”
There were three fires caused by legal fireworks in Redmond last summer. All were kept small thanks to quick responses by firefighters.
“I want everybody to be able to enjoy the Fourth of July,” said John Nielsen, Redmond City Councilor. “I want my children to be able to play with fireworks. I want to light them off myself. I want to do it in a safe and respectful way that isn’t going to injure anyone or cause any fires.”
The meeting is in council chambers at 411 SW 9th Street starting at 6:00 p.m.
If you can’t attend the meeting in person, the city is hosting an online poll that asks whether fireworks should be allowed year round; only during certain times of year, or; banned outright.
“If you allow the fireworks you may still have small fires. But if we ban outright, people may take them out into the county where we know we have a higher fire hazard,” Mooney said. “We are trying to balance the good and the bad.”
Councilor Nielsen’s family was hit by an illegal mortar last summer that peppered him with burning shrapnel and lit his daughter’s clothes on fire.
