FILE PHOTO BY SENTINEL COLORADO
AURORA | Aurora firefighters announced Thursday that residents will be allowed to buy and use their own fireworks for the next three weeks, as the city’s fire service and 911 dispatchers steel themselves for the July 4 holiday.
The announcement was made first during an Aurora City Council policy committee meeting — later the same day, Aurora Fire Rescue issued a news release asking the public to follow the law, even as lawmakers acknowledged the phenomenon of residents launching illegal fireworks has grown “out of control.”
“This situation is like a dike with a hundred holes in it, and we can put our fingers in two of them,” Councilmember Steve Sundberg said at the committee meeting.
“We get the most hateful, frustrated emails, phone calls (and) text messages from residents. It’s hard to describe the angst that these people have.”
Aurora’s blanket ban on fireworks is reconsidered every year ahead of July 4, per the city’s fireworks ordinance. In the weeks preceding the holiday, firefighters review environmental data collected by University of Colorado researchers and weigh other climate information before deciding whether to lift the ban June 15 through July 4.
Commander Steve Wright of Aurora Fire Rescue told lawmakers that, for now, conditions justify suspending the ban, meaning residents will be allowed to buy and use sparklers, fountains and other fireworks that remain on the ground and don’t explode.
City Manager Jason Batchelor described the city walking a fine line between stifling celebrations and enabling mayhem in its regulatory tug-of-war with firework fans.
“If you’re coming down too hard, folks are like, ‘What’s the matter? This is part of the holiday.’ On the other hand, you’ve got folks that take it too far. We’ve got folks that are going to Wyoming and getting military-grade mortars,” he said.
In its June 13 release, Aurora Fire Rescue described how a man was killed earlier this year by illegal fireworks detonated in an Aurora park and a townhome complex scorched last year by legal fireworks thrown in a trash can.
Citing statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Fire Protection Association, the release describes how tens of thousands of fires and emergency room visits are caused each year by fireworks.
“None of the nationally-recognized metrics we monitor to assess environmental fire risk in our community exceed thresholds requiring a fire ban,” fire chief Alec Oughton said in the release. “We urge those in our community to take precautions to prevent injuries or fires if you choose to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks.”
Violating the city’s fireworks ordinance is punishable by a fine of up to $2,650 and up to a year of imprisonment in addition to other fees and costs that may be imposed by the Aurora Municipal Court.
Children younger than 16 aren’t allowed to possess or use fireworks unless supervised by an adult over the age of 21.
During Thursday’s policy committee meeting, city and fire officials talked about how the city is preparing for the holiday and letting residents know what to expect in terms of how fireworks laws will be enforced.
Aurora Fire Rescue plans to staff up its wildland firefighting crews during the week of July 4 to increase its response capacity and proactively patrol the city.
While Wright said firefighters are allowed to confiscate illegal fireworks, cut tickets and investigate complaints, they can’t make arrests or otherwise do the job of sworn police officers.
The agency will also share safety information at upcoming town halls and other community events, and plans to leave informational handouts at fireworks tents during inspections.
A unified command center run by Aurora Fire Rescue, Aurora’s Office of Emergency Management and the Aurora Police Department will coordinate emergency responses on the day of the holiday.
As for reports of illegal fireworks, except in the case of emergencies, the city will direct residents to call 303-627-5678, which will accept non-emergency calls starting 6 a.m. July 1.
Residents can also report illegal fireworks online at www.AuroraGov.org/ContactUs.
No “military-grade” mortars.
“Officials” complain about fireworks butheir complaints/threats accomplishothing.
Officials, why not use your wasted-breath to promote safer fireworks practices?
– Follow instructions on each firework.
– Keep garden hoses charged and athe ready. (Wet downearby pine trees or brush before setting offireworks.)
– Have a bucket full of water into which to drop hot sparkler wires.
– No one wears frilly, easy-ignitable clothing. Know STOP, DROP, ROLL if clothing catches fire. Cold water from gardehoses on burns. The faster a burn is cooled, the better. (Do not waste time getting ice.)
– Use a punk to light the end of fuses. A match or cigarette lighter may lighthe fuse too close to the firework.
– Secure mortar tubes so thathey cannot fall over.
– Carrying the bucket full of water, find any aerial fireworks whichave gone astray.
– Keep fireworks protected from sparks under a cover or in plastic bin.
– Have ONE person lighthe fireworks.
– Have fun and remember what Independence Day means!
I think as long as the public try using common sense in respecting the safety rules, then hopefully this new law can be tolerated.
The complete and total lack of empathy by so many for PTSD survivors, dementia patients, pet owners and their animals is truly sad. I MEAN UTTERLY SAD, DEPRAVED AND WITHOUT EXCUSE!
Is this really the example you want to set for your kids? To terrorize to the neighborhood heroes?
There’s an opportunity here to be good role models for the kids. Will you be one?
My good role model is safely setting off fireworks on July Forth – an American Tradition for many decades.
Could PTSD survivors anticipate the tradition andeave town to quieter areas?
Do PTSD survivors understand thunderstorms and gethrough thatrauma?
Sorry, but this is just ridiculous. Fireworks have already started in our neighborhood and will continue through the end of the year. Every single night has been the pattern for years. Aurora can say 3 weeks but let’s get real. Arapahoe County allows them and several firework stands are already in place. Can anyone say “fire danger?”
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! They are a mammoth nuisance and people Are not responsible.
They start shooting them off NOW, and, well into August until they use them up!
Don’t know where they get the money!
My husband had one go off in front of his van while driving a few years ago.
Jason Batchelor, with his military background, ought not to say something as ignorant as the public is buying :military grade mortars”. The hyperbole reduces the effectiveness of his messaging.
I used to love the Fourth.
Then it became hijacked by those who think setting off a hundred block-shaking ground and aerial devices is fun. Multiply by ten houses a block, and the Fourth is now six to eight hours of intolerable assault you can’t escape except by perhaps taking a vacation that week to Kiev or Gaza.
It’s a dedicated show of disregard for neighbors in a half-mile radius — half-mile after half-mile — and I wish only devastating accidents for the “celebrants.” After all, the rest of us need our entertainment, too.
This is pathetic!
Council has been around long enough and likely had calls/emails telling them fire-works in the city turns their neighborhoods into a DMZ. Over the past couple years there has been numerous people testify at council meetings asking this council to disallow heavy fireworks and get serious on enforcement. A lot of good that does to take the time to try and communicate at city hall. Further, the council admits the a “out of control” problem joined with the same observation from fire dept begging the public to play nice. You got to be kidding!
City leadership seems totally unqualified on this topic to take and analyze the overwhelming existing data coupled with the high predictability mayhem this summer for the exact same thing we have dealt with year after year. This is not rocket-science for Christ’s sake.
Then all the warnings of the ferocious city court process- That’ll scare- em. APD can’t even get the expired license plates under control. Now this-?
City halls denial of the truth of how disrespecting the public is anymore of any rules – specifically fireworks- tells me a pretty naïve council missed the boat. It’s regrettable and there’s no excuses.
Perhaps if there was a fund to pay people a few hundred dollars to anonymously report these scofflaws that result in a citation issued would work better. The phone number starts 1 July but the season runs 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after the 4th for the heavy hitters.