Over an hour and a half of the Wednesday, May 21 Clark County Council meeting was public comment regarding the idea of a ban on holiday fireworks, despite no ban being proposed in the first place.
Dozens of people, mostly opposing the thought of a ban on booming aerial displays, filled the county’s hearing room to express the benefits of firework sales for local nonprofits, youth sports, churches and community service groups. A few citizens expressed their support for an all-out ban or heavy restrictions on fireworks in unincorporated Clark County. Supporters of firework restrictions or a ban noted the annual property damage, environmental harm, animal sensitivity, stress for vulnerable groups and overstretched emergency services.
Ahead of the public comment period, County Chair Sue Marshall told those in attendance, with a lot wearing shirts saying, “Save Our Fireworks!” that the council was not set to vote on any proposed ban. A few online rumors speculated a ban as the council meeting’s agenda labeled an item “fireworks,” prompting the dozens to attend and voice their concerns.
Two weeks before the meeting, the council reviewed data from fire officials about the 2024 Fourth of July holiday and briefly discussed the merits of restricting firework usage during a work session.
Public comment included Britton Cottrell, vice president of TNT Fireworks, who told the council that the fireworks company would want to be a part of the solution, not the problem with furthering safety and education opportunities. Cottrell said before the council during public comment that he had met with the councilors to share successful campaigns in other jurisdictions to limit damage and waste from exploded fireworks.
A handful of ban opposers also used public comment to voice their support for safety education, even including displays at their stands to show how fireworks users can be responsible and prepared at their houses. They also felt that restrictions or a ban would lead to a higher yield of “pyromaniacs” venturing out of the county to buy illegal fireworks.
As the council left an open mind and did not take action on May 21, councilors shared their thoughts on the complexity of the matter and the merits of arguments from both sides of the issue. They agreed to review more information about their policy options and discuss the issue again at a further meeting.
Two stand operators, one for financial support for the Battle Ground High School Equestrian Team and the other benefitting the American Legion Post 176 in Salmon Creek, along with other nonprofits and programs, said if a restriction were to occur ahead of a future holiday, their sales would be at least cut in half.
They also felt that the County Councilors maintaining an open mind and greatly receiving the information on the benefit of firework sales has to the community as a win for stand operators.
“With the amount of nonprofits and associations that really rely on this money for kids that have teams, everything, veterans, I think [the council] had no clue on how much money that this actually brings into the county and a lot of it stays in the county,” Jeff Miller, fireworks stand operator treasurer for the Battle Ground High School Equestrian Team, said. “I do think it’s a win.”
John Lawrence, operations manager and firework stand operator for the American Legion Post 176 agreed that the council’s reaction to public comment and no action taken on May 21 was a success for ban opposition.
“I think that the County Council was surprised at the response coming in and the number of people that showed up and I think that it made them more aware of how important fireworks sales to nonprofits are,” Lawrence said. “In fact, one of them I remember saying that she was unaware of how close-knit fireworks sales were to nonprofit organizations and also what the money is used for. So I think that response of the County Council in slowing down the decision and making a more informed decision is a much better choice for Vancouver and Clark County than to just say, ‘well, let’s just ban fireworks.’”
