Tumwater officials say fireworks ban worked, but 911 calls were the same as last year

Tumwater officials say the city’s new fireworks ban cut down on fireworks usage this Fourth of July.

Voters approved a ban on the sale, possession and use of consumer fireworks twice — by a narrow margin in 2016 and by a larger margin this April.

To get the word out, the city sent out postcards, put up banners and posted reminders to social media leading up to the Fourth of July.

“We knew some people would be confused. We voted on it, we voted on it again, how did the vote go?” said Ann Cook, Tumwater’s communications manager.

The number of fireworks-related calls to 911 from July 2 to 6 this year was the same as last year, before the ban went into effect. This year there were no reports of fires or injuries caused by fireworks.

But officials point to a larger turnout at the public fireworks display at Tumwater Valley Golf Course as a sign the ban worked. They estimate 16,000 people came this year, up from 12,000 last year.

Mayor Pete Kmet, who supported the ban ahead of April’s vote, said he heard hardly any fireworks in his neighbor on July Fourth.

“Clearly there (was) still some use of fireworks in some areas. But it wasn’t the sustained use that we saw in the past,” he said.

Lacey and Olympia already had fireworks bans, and the three cities worked together this year to make sure people knew the rules. Cook said given the confusing city boundaries in some areas, it was easier this year to spread the message that fireworks were banned in all three cities.

She added it will be an ongoing process to get more people to comply with the ban.

This story was originally published July 21, 2018 at 3:03 PM.