Ban was a smart move | IN OUR OPINION

Published 11:02 am Saturday, July 11, 2015

Needless tragedy was no doubt avoided during the holiday weekend thanks to the Bainbridge Island Fire Department’s first-ever ban on fireworks during the Fourth of July celebration.

While other areas in Kitsap County experienced brush fires, destroyed homes and other unfortunate fallout from over-the-counter fireworks, Bainbridge’s prudent approach spared the island from such damage.

Fireworks are fun, but they are also a menace.

Last year in Washington state, a total of 432 fireworks-related injuries and fires were reported to the State Fire Marshal’s Office by fire departments and hospitals. Officials noted that most of the incidents occurred on July 4, and most of those hurt were men 36 years old or older.

Last year, fireworks were also the cause of 155 fires.

The Bainbridge ban was put in place June 29, and was a smart call considering the extreme fire danger on Bainbridge following historic high temperatures and weeks of hot and dry weather conditions.

The fire department’s ban was successful in large part due to the assistance of the Bainbridge Island Police Department and city hall, who continued to remind residents who were unaware of the ban that this year, fireworks were verboten.

The public was also supportive of the ban, as shown by an online poll on the Bainbridge Review’s website, which tallied more than 95 percent in support of the restrictions.

Bainbridge Island Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said this week the ban had an impact.

“The Bainbridge Island Fire Department had a very quiet holiday when compared to the rest of the county,” Carpenter told the Review. “Nineteen runs is a bit above our normal daily run volume, but none of the activity was related to fireworks.”

Carpenter noted there were no injuries and no fires as a result of fireworks on the island this year.

While some grumbled about the fireworks ban, and a few on the island seemed to outright ignore it, praise is due to the fire department for its decision and for those islanders who responsibly did the right thing.