Pledge ‘no’ to local use of fireworks, contribute to Fourth display

Published 1:00 am Wednesday, June 18, 2008

KINGSTON — For one day Gunnar Jacobsen, 7, was part of the Kingston Fire Department and had his own seat onboard the fire engine to prove it.

All his family and friends watched as he rode down the streets of Kingston leading last year’s Fourth of July parade. It was all because he pledged not to light off fireworks.

Not a-one.

“Fireworks are really dangerous,” Jacobsen said, adding there are tons of things other kids can do instead of lighting off fireworks. “I play with my friends and Legos. On a hot day I would just go to a pool.”

The Annual Fireworks Report released by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated fireworks were involved in more than 9,200 injuries treated in US hospitals in 2006 (the 2007 report has yet to be released). Of these injuries, the majority — 6,400 — occurred between June 16 and July 16, during peak firework time.

One in three of those injured were younger than 15 years old.

This is North Kitsap Fire & Rescue’s seventh year holding a No Firework Pledge.

“It leaves the professionals to putting off the fireworks and lets the families enjoy it,” said Gordon Elementary teacher and Fire Commissioner Pat Pearson. “I tell the kids that it’s so much fun to watch the fireworks with my family.”

Because the NKF&R firefighters and staff believe in the pledge so much, for each family that enters they donate $5 from their own wallets to add to the Kingston’s Fourth of July firework display.

“Firefighters are the ones having to treat all these injuries and are well aware of what happens when kids don’t use fireworks properly,” he said.

Each family that pledges is entered into a drawing to win two seats on board the department’s flagship fire engine and, for the first time ever, a table on the deck of the Filling Station Restaurant to watch the parade.

Michele Laboda, NKF&R community services specialist, said fireworks created an especially bad mess four years ago during a stretch of dry weather.

“During that time all the medical calls that went unrelated to fireworks experienced slower response times because of all the responses to grassfires caused by fireworks,” she said. “Although there are firework ordinances on the books we know that a lot of people might not be aware of the law and we also observe a lot of negative affects of fireworks use. We don’t have the ability to directly enforce the fireworks ordinance so we try to provide an incentive instead.”

The local ordinance prohibits fireworks use except between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. on July 4.

NKF&R crews respond to as many as 60 calls during the 24-hour period, which is almost 10 times the department’s average daily call volume, Laboda said.

“Typically, two-thirds of these incidents are fireworks-related brush fires, structure fires and injuries,” she said.

Only residents of NKF&R’s service area are eligble to make the pledge and win the drawing.

Entry forms are available at the department’s Web site: www.nkfr.org. Completed entries can be faxed to (360) 297-2653.