To ban, or not to ban firework sales: that’s the question going before Sequim city councilors later this month.
Councilors at their Sept. 23 meeting unanimously voted to host a public hearing during their next meeting, 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, in the Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St., to hear feedback from residents about whether a ban should move forward.
Sequim’s fire marshal Joel Dressel told councilors that if a ban were approved, it’d go into effect in the fall of 2025, approximately one year after a vote.
Currently, permitted fireworks sales are allowed from June 28-July 5, and if a ban is approved, sales would be allowed one last time in 2025.
The current city code allows one booth per 1,500 persons residing in the city, and first preference is given to local nonprofit groups benefiting youth and second preference to other local nonprofits.
If there is a high fire danger, Dressel holds the ability to stop sales during the sale time frame.
This year, three entities had booths in the city: Sequim Vineyard at Walmart, Seattle International Christian Church at Safeway, and Big Dog Fireworks at Hardy’s Market.
The City of Sequim prohibited the discharge of fireworks and sky lanterns in July 2017 after a November 2016 advisory vote with 65.6% (2,642) of residents for a ban of the discharge of all commercial fireworks.
A public display was developed as an alternative in the city at Carrie Blake Community Park.
Clallam County allows fireworks to be discharged only on July 4 in unincorporated Sequim, and only if there is not a high fire danger.
Dressel said in an email that if Sequim Municipal Code chapter 8.20 is amended, a sales ban only applies to the sale of consumer fireworks but not “Trick and Novelty Devices,” such as Pop-its, Snap-N-Pops, and Party Poppers, as they are not classified as a consumer firework.
Discussion
In an August interview, councilor Kathy Downer said she asked fellow councilors for a ban of fireworks sales ordinance because she feels it’s misleading that, though fireworks sales are still allowed people are not allowed to discharge them in Sequim.
“It gives them a feeling they can shoot them off,” Downer said.
City staff report Sequim might be the only city in the state that bans the discharge of fireworks but allows sales.
Staffers in 2016 advised against allowing firework sales, but councilors didn’t want to negatively impact nonprofits who operate fireworks booths.
On Sept. 23, councilors did not address the issue directly but rather talked about how to get word out about the public hearing.
At the August council meeting, Downer and former Sequim school board member Jim Stoffer, who both attend Trinity United Methodist Church by Carrie Blake Community Park, report there were residents trying to shoot fireworks off before and after the city’s public fireworks show by the church.
Stoffer, the church’s volunteer safety committee chairman, advocated again on Sept. 23 for a sales ban of fireworks, and said in an interview that there should be more signage around the city in the mean time.
He said one family didn’t know it was illegal to discharge fireworks in the city.
Randy Cearley, an area manager for TNT Fireworks, said at the meeting that fireworks are a “hot button issue” and it’s easy to do a complete ban — but that it won’t work. He said Tacoma banned fireworks in 1992 and there’s been an influx of them being discharged in the city ever since.
Cearley, who said he works with two of the nonprofit vendors in Sequim, said he’d favor stricter penalties if people are caught, and more education and signage across the city.
For July 4, 2024, deputy police chief John Southard reports there were 11 fireworks complaints between 7 p.m.-midnight on July 4, with four of those from city residents reporting unknowingly of legal fireworks in the county.
Officers also received voluntary compliance from residents to stop, Southard said, which they seek from parties they contact about discharging fireworks.
If necessary after verbal warnings, and seizure of fireworks, residents could face a gross misdemeanor fine up to $5,000 or up to 364 days in jail, if they fail to comply with the fireworks ban, according to the city’s code. Southard said they’ve never had an incident rise to that level in his tenure.
All of the fireworks-related fire calls for July 4 were in the City of Sequim, reported staff with Clallam County Fire District 3, and no fireworks calls were in unincorporated Clallam County in the Sequim area.
Comment process
Because of new protocols put in place following bigoted and racist speech being called in to city council meetings, councilors enacted new procedure to city council meetings.
Those wishing to participate in remote public comment, via Zoom or by phone, are required to register on the City website at sequimwa.gov/1219/Submit-Public-Comments by 3 p.m. on the day of the meeting (Oct. 14).
Members of the public are welcome to provide in-person comments while attending the meetings, and written comments are accepted and may be mailed to Attention: City Clerk, 152 W. Cedar St., Sequim, WA, 98382, or emailed to clerk@sequimwa.gov.
