Logan’s fire chief says fireworks restrictions will be in place in parts of the city before the July Fourth holiday.
The state legislature passed a new law this year that requires municipal councils to decide fireworks restrictions, instead of delegating authority to fire chiefs and marshals.
The Logan Municipal Council will meet Thursday night to discuss the new rules and is expected to amend a city ordinance to reflect the changes. Fire Chief Jeff Peterson says once the amendment is in place, the city can implement specific fire restrictions but not outright ban the use of fireworks city-wide. With high temperatures and low precipitation, Peterson says restrictions are inevitable this year.
“The weather didn’t give us a break at all,” he said. “And you look at record-breaking temperatures in the forecast, you look at fuel moistures – everything’s drying out faster than we expected. I just felt like we’ve got to move before it’s too late.”
He says his department has already drawn up plans to restrict fireworks in places adjacent to undeveloped land and in urban-wildland interface areas.
“There’s no question we’re going to,” he said about the upcoming restrictions. “Our fuel moistures in this part of the country are at historic lows. Everything is primed for significant fires, and I just thought it would be irresponsible not to put some kind of restriction in.”
Peterson says a list of restrictions and restriction areas will be released Friday morning.