Because of dry conditions and increased fire danger across Alaska, personal use and sale of fireworks have been banned by the state fire marshal. But Wednesday night’s big public fireworks display in downtown Juneau will go on as planned.
“We are also in a weather pattern that’s very unusual,” said Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge. “We have had fires up toward 50 to 60 acres, even out of Berners Bay. There is potential for a wildland fire to get going.”
Etheridge said they don’t have adequate resources here in Juneau to fight a wildland fire. If a fire does start from lightning or fireworks, then resources would likely have to be pulled from other active fires currently being fought around the state.
Following direction from the State Fire Marshal’s office, Etheridge said all fireworks are prohibited from personal sale and use in the Juneau area.
Etheridge warns that violators could receive a citation or a criminal charge, depending on the severity of the violation.
The annual fireworks show planned for downtown Juneau, however, is currently planned to start as scheduled at 11:59 p.m. on July 3. Organized by the Juneau Festival Association, the fireworks are a launched from a barge that is moved into the middle of Gastineau Channel near the downtown waterfront.
“Because of all the safety precautions that go into that program, (State Fire Marshal’s office, State Division of Forestry, and U.S. Forest Service) are allowing that permit to stand and they will continue with the night of the third fireworks show,” said Etheridge.
Full Transcript
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
We don’t get a ton of really big, large wildfires. But we’re also in a weather pattern that’s very unusual. And we have had fires up towards 50 to 60 acres even out of Berners Bay so there is potential for a wildland fire to get going. So the fire marshals instituted this ban statewide and we get our authority from the State Fire Marshal to function as a fire department and so we have to follow the State Fire Marshal’s directives so effective immediately all personal use fireworks in the City and Borough of Juneau are no longer to be sold or used.
Matt Miller, KTOO
Okay, I think maybe need to make a distinction here – personal use, does that mean stuff that we might buy elsewhere and set off in our backyard or is this also mean the big fireworks organized display that we usually see on the on the night before Independence Day?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
Right, the one for the night of the third (is) approval to to proceed. We worked with state forestry, the fire marshal’s office, and the U.S. Forest Service. And because of all the safety precautions that are going into that program, they are allowing that permit to stand and they’re going to continue with the night of the third fireworks show.
Matt Miller
Any specific precautions going to be put in place for that, for the barge that’s in the middle of the channel there?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
They’ve got a licensed pyrotechnician that’s operating the show, the fallout of the fireworks are mapped and if the winds pick up, then they would look at delaying the show or or postponing it potentially for another day.
Matt Miller
OK, but usually, kind of in conjunction with that big public display that’s put on by the festival association is also everybody all up and down the channel. They watch the fireworks, there’s big bonfires, they set off their own fireworks, people on top of Mount Jumbo, on top of Mount Juneau also set off fireworks too. What are the penalties for violating the ban? And is this something that you’re going to be able to enforce?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
JPD is working with the law department and our city fire marshal to kind of line out the specifics of what actual code violations would occur. And it could be anywhere from a simple citation to, you know, a criminal charge, just depending on all the factors that are involved. So hopefully later today, they’ve got a little bit more information and can get that lined out. So it’s being enforced uniformly across the city. Now one person is not more heavy handed than another and we’re all working off the same set of rules.
Matt Miller
So it’s quite possible that even though somebody may be in an out of place location and be setting off fireworks, they could be getting a citation or end up having a court date because of setting off fireworks on the third, right?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
Yeah, absolutely. Any use of personal fireworks could end up in citations. You know, if you’re putting other people at risk, you could end up with criminal charges. As far as you know, reckless endangerment, or things of that nature.
Matt Miller
Are there any particular items that people normally associate or use or set off during the Independence Day holiday that may not fall into this ban? I’m thinking of some less flammable things like maybe sparklers or some other items, or is it just a kind of a, this is a blanket prohibition?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
Yeah, the sparklers are kind of a gray area. Not really fireworks, but you know, it’s one of those that, you know, we’re probably not going to go chase down, you know, kids with a sparkler that’s under adult supervision. But anything that you light a fuse to activate is kind of the definition we use as a working definition for what fireworks are.
Matt Miller
Just to kind of expand on the the rationale behind this: We’re kind of experiencing a drought here in Southeast, aren’t we?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
Definitely. Our water levels are way low. You know, we’ve actually had the water department contact us and ask if we could refrain from doing heavy water use out in the valley for firefighter training, just so they can keep up with the usage. You know, this is kind of the driest I’ve seen Juneau when at least, you know, 15 years. And there is potential with all of our hills and all of our wildland surrounds us that we could end up with fire.
Matt Miller
And how about open burning, has that been banned as well?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
Open burning hasn’t been banned. So far, we haven’t been experiencing problems with it people are being responsible with their burning. The only problem with that running into lately is people burning prohibited items – styrofoam and plastics and things like that. So, if we start seeing an increased wildland fires because of open burning, then we’d look at instituting a ban, or if the Weather Service institutes a red flag warning, then we would go ahead and institute a ban then.
Matt Miller
The police department is going to be having extra officers on patrol on the night of the third and also the Fourth of July. What about your department staff? Are you going to be having extra staff working the holiday?
Rich Etheridge, Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief
Yes, we’ll have four ambulances staffed. We’ll have at least a couple of chief officers on duty and trying to cover both ends of the borough. One chief would stay downtown the whole time and one chief would stay out in the valley, just to make sure that we’ve got a quick response to anything that goes on in the community.
