“What’s the most illegal firework you have?”

That’s the question Summit High 15-year-old Zhamilanh “Kat” Morales remembers some guys in “a really cool car” pulling up to the fireworks stand in front of Fred Meyers and asking.

And it’s also the kind of question that sends a chill up the spine of High Desert firefighters as the weather turns hot and the Fourth of July approaches.

But they were joking, right? That’s not how Morales heard it: “They were not kidding,” she said.

Almost two-dozen fireworks stands (and in-store sales displays) began business around Bend on Wednesday, all having been inspected by city fire inspectors to be sure they know the rules, from no smoking on the premises to no fireworks sales to youth under age 16, by state law. (Those younger than 16 also can’t sell the legal, “safe and sane” devices, although they can help adults run the place, in terms of asking questions, stocking the shelves, etc.)

Susie Lovisco, one of the city’s fire inspectors, is blunt about the Fourth: “It’s firefighters’ worst day of the year.”

It’s not a walk in the park for police, either, who must deal with the growing problem of illegal fireworks, imported from Mexico or elsewhere, which is turning the Fourth (and the days and nights leading up to it) into a blast-, spark- and shriek-filled, frightening time, not just for pets and young children, but many adults as well.

The tent stacked with boxes of Chinese-made fireworks, located by Third Street in the Fred Meyer parking lot, is a new fund-raising effort for Casey Brooks, youth pastor at Deschutes Christian Fellowship, and his wife, Michelle. Things were a bit slow late Thursday morning, and there was plenty of time to readjust the wind-buffeted signs for Morales, Alex Maxwell, 14, who is home-schooled, and Mountain View High student Amy Evans, also 14, all members of “Vertical,” the church’s high school ministry.

The money they hope to raise – the stand’s previous owner said they could net $9,000 – will go for a trip later in the summer to Mexico – not to party, but to help out at an orphanage for severely disabled children.

Last year, the church group raised funds with a garage sale of sorts in the Wal-Mart parking lot on July 3. “We did really good sales,” Casey Brooks said. “Then the guy selling fireworks in the tent next to us said, `You interested in running this next year?’”

The initial slow times weren’t worrying the group: “We’re told they do 70 to 80 percent of the business in the last four or five days before” the Fourth, he said.

It’s not a carefree way to make money, either; Michelle Brooks said they have to have someone there 24 hours a day, to keep watch over the fireworks inventory. Lovisco said the fireworks dealers also could be held liable for damages, if the devices spark a blaze or cause injury.

Talk of fireworks ban fizzles

A year ago, city Councilor Bill Friedman sparked some controversy by suggesting that the council consider a ban on fireworks sales and use. The idea didn’t advance very far, in part due to big questions about the enforceability of such a sweeping ban, and the impact on groups that raise funds through fireworks sales.

Over the winter, the board of Deschutes County Rural Fire District No. 2 urged Deschutes County to put a referendum on a future ballot about a fireworks ban, but county Commissioner Tom DeWolf said he’d seen no data indicating such a ban was justified.

The city of Bend’s community survey, done this spring, didn’t find a broad consensus on the fireworks issue, with 40 percent favoring some kind of regulation, almost a third urging not going in that direction, and 28 percent favoring an education effort only.

And there are new efforts under way. A local group, Central Oregon Safe Kids, won a $5,000 grant last fall for a fireworks safety education and awareness program. A video was produced as part of an effort targeted at middle-schoolers, talking about which fireworks are legal, and safe use of the legal kind.

The statistics point to a growing problem as well. Last year, Oregon had 464 reported fireworks-related fires, a 49 percent jump from 2002, according to the Office of State Fire Marshal. Youth 17 or younger were involved in more than 36 percent of those blazes, with a total dollar loss of more than $639,000.

People found in possession of illegal fireworks can be fined up to $500, as well as those endangering life and property with the devices, under state statute. They also can be faced with a hefty bill for fire suppression, if tied to the fireworks, and could be held liable in civil action as well, Lovisco noted.

The three teens working the Fred Meyer fireworks stand said they have never used illegal fireworks, but indicated that’s not necessarily true of their friends.

“I don’t think there should be any bottle rockets (allowed), because those are dangerous,” Maxwell said.

Michelle Brooks, helping her husband run the fireworks stand, said more education in the schools about the dangers of illegal fireworks is a good idea, but Evans, one of the teens, said she doesn’t think it would do much good.

“Most of the kids at high school won’t even listen to it,” she said, “’cause they want to do what they want to do.”

Morales agreed: “Common sense isn’t the strongest point you have when you’re with your friends. You do stupid things to have fun.”

Tall grass drying out fast

Earl Cordes, fire chief for the Jefferson County Rural Fire Protection District, is just like his apprehensive colleagues: “This is probably about the most nervous time of the year for me.”

“Firemen are kind of like farmers – we’re always complaining about the weather,” Cordes said. Spring rain helped keep things from drying out too fast, he said, “but the other side of the double-edged sword is, we’ve got some fine fuels and grass that’s going to dry out. The wild rye(grass) is the tallest I’ve ever seen it. It’s not dried out yet, but the cheatgrass is dried out.”

One problem well-known to firefighters is when legal fireworks are altered or bundled in illegal ways. Cordes said that was the cause of a five-acre brushfire in Madras two years ago that threatened homes and burned some outbuildings. Kids playing with fire – though not fireworks – also sparked a northeast Bend blaze three years ago that destroyed two homes and damaged three others.

“I think education is the biggest tool we’ve got, for prevention” of problems, the fire chief said. “I’ve even found situations where adults weren’t thinking, and were doing it out in the middle of a field of dry fuel.” (Alcohol often plays a role in such poor judgment, Cordes acknowledged.)

It’s pretty much impossible to tell how many fireworks illegal in Oregon are brought over the border into the state. “It’d be like trying to know how many pounds of marijuana or cocaine come into the state,” said Tari Glocar of the State Fire Marshal’s Office. But clearly, she added, the problem “grows every year.”

There were 61 visits to Oregon hospital emergency rooms and urgent-care clinics for fireworks-related injuries in the weeks leading up to and after the Fourth in 2002, with 60 percent of the injuries to youths under 17, and at least 22 of the injuries involving devices illegal in Oregon, the agency reported.

The mixed signals to youngsters are particularly bothersome to someone like Lovisco, who sees first-hand on the job the tragedy a fire can cause.

“We teach children 364 days a year not to play with matches and lighters,” she said. “And what do we do on the Fourth? It’s a total contradiction.”

But as long as they are sold, Lovisco said, “We need to educate teens and adults to be good role models and supervise, and take responsibility” for their actions. She also said that those who find illegal fireworks can bring them to the fire department, which will take them – “no questions asked.”

The message from fire officials is uniform and three-fold:

–Be prepared before lighting fireworks. Use only legal fireworks, available at licensed outlets, and always read and follow label directions. Set up a bucket of water, or have a hose nearby, to douse misfired or used fireworks.

–Be safe when lighting fireworks. Use them only on outdoor, paved surfaces, away from buildings, cars and shrubs-anything that can burn. Never alter fireworks or make your own, and never pick up or try to relight a “dud” – wait 15 to 20 minutes, then soak it in a bucket of water. An adult should always light the fireworks – keep matches and lighters away from children.

–Be responsible before, during and after the big night. Store fireworks, lighters and matches out of the reach of children. Soak used fireworks thoroughly in a bucket of water. And above all, supervise young people while fireworks are being used.

“The best and safest plan,” Lovisco said, “is to attend the professional fireworks display at Pilot Butte, and eliminate the risk altogether.”

But with all the efforts at safety and education, a lot of what happens is simply out of firefighters’ hands. Like last year, Lovisco will be atop Pilot Butte as the big show goes off – this year, with an accompanying music festival partying at the state park below. She expects to see all sorts of illegal fireworks lighting up the sky, just like last year.

“We just hope that nothing disastrous will occur,” Lovisco said. “I wish we could take all the money spent on fireworks, and put it into one safe and spectacular public display.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 24th, 2004 at 10:38 pm and is filed under Top Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.