Please obey fireworks bans

Remember last summer when wildfires to the west turned our skies black? Remember the smell? The difficulty breathing? So as you ponder fireworks for the Fourth of July, don’t. Just don’t. Ponder the law and the penalties instead.

On the heels of two of the biggest wildfire seasons in state history, officials are bracing for another big one. Climate change has brought about hotter and drier conditions and more invasive bugs gnawing away at trees. This may very well be the new normal.

The state has struggled to get ahead of the problem with budget cuts at the Department of Natural Resources and questionable forest management practices allowing state forests to become overgrown and less productive. All of the candidates for state lands commissioner seem to agree that the state’s forests are in need of more aggressive management – controlled burns, thinning and clearing away brush that acts as fuel.

Ironically, the “Smokey Bear” campaign might’ve been too effective in preventing fires, because those are needed on occasion for forest health.

That doesn’t mean you should become less vigilant, but it does mean DNR must be given the resources and flexibility to conduct intentional fires. The Legislature passed a bill allowing for a pilot project under which the agency can work with local fire officials and be granted more leeway on air quality regulations.

But, obviously, a pilot project won’t get the job done across the state this summer, so you do need to be careful as you enjoy the outdoors. People living near wildland areas must create defensible space around their property, and when told to evacuate, they should cooperate.

A burn ban went into effect on DNR land on Saturday and it will remain in effect through September. Different jurisdictions will have different rules, so check first before striking a match. If in doubt, don’t do it.

As for fireworks, those have been banned in Spokane and most of the county for more than 20 years, and for good reason. One spark, regardless of the source, can do a lot of damage in dry conditions. During the 1991 firestorm, the city had fires burning on three sides, and about 100 homes were lost. That event changed many fire-related policies.

Unfortunately, fireworks such as sparklers can be purchased in Kootenai County. These legal fireworks are called “safe and sane,” but even they can be dangerous. Please do not leave children unattended with them.

The bans have been effective. As this newspaper reported:

“In the decade before the ban was put into place, the fire department received reports of 290 fireworks-related emergency room visits from Spokane area hospitals between June 28 and July 6, with a high of 56 injuries in 1984. In the following decade, the total number of injuries leading to a hospital visit was just 37, with no more than eight in any one year. Fires started by fireworks have also fallen, from an average of about 104 per year in the decade before the ban to four or five per year in the decades since.”

That’s what we consider to be safe and sane.

To respond to this editorial online, go to www.spokesman.com and click on “Opinion.”