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The city council voted to ban consumer fireworks. We finally saw this through to the end.

August 23, 2013

Ban Consumer Fireworks in Bellingham, Washington

Ban Consumer Fireworks in Bellingham, Washington

🏆 Won — 475 supporters Verified

Final supporters

S
Someone
N
Nadine H.
E
exhatty
F
Fred A.
M
Molly D.
D
David D.
C
Cynthia S.
J
Jeannine c.
S
Someone
S
Someone
+465 more
CB
Started by Clay Butler 16 years, 5 months ago

To express your support of a total ban, within the City of Bellingham, of the sales, possession and use of consumer fireworks, please sign this on-line petition.

NO DONATION IS REQUIRED to endorse/ comment on this on-line petition. Click on "Blog" above for more details.

Click on "Signatures" above to reviewwhat other folks in Bellingham think about a ban.

Yourcomments arevital, welcome and encouraged!

"Anonymous" endorsements are acceptable. However, "Anonymous" endorsementswhich do not includecomments are of littlevalueand will be deleted.

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. This on-line petition addressesconsumer fireworks, the kind that terrorizeyour pets snd wild animals,leavedebris in your yard and onyour roof andstart fires and/or cause serious injuries, NOT those staged professionally, like out over Bellingham Bay each year.

2. This on-line petition is fundamentally different from one you may haveactuallysigned in the past.It has nolegal status and should be viewed basically as an on-line opinion poll.

THE PETITION

I. NOISE: Bellingham's Noise Ordinance (BMC 10.24.120) prohibits "frequent, repetitive or continuous" noise from many specific sources, but does not include - or exempt - fireworks - as a source of noisedisturbance. This ordinanceobviously requires revision to recognize thatsome types of consumer fireworks can be the source of"frequent, repetitive or continuous" noise.

II.WASHINGTONSTATE REQUIREMENTS: Washington State Law (RCW 70.77.395), which sets MINIMUM State-wide requirements for when the sales and use of consumer fireworks can take place, also provides for local governments (i.e., the City of Bellingham) to ban and/or further restrict the sales, possession and use of consumer fireworks within their juristictions.

III.BELLINGHAM'S "RESTRICTIONS":Bellingham's Fireworks Ordinance (BMC 10.24.130) is ONLY MINIMALLY MORE restrictive than the Washington State Law. Legal sales are allowed for 8-days during June and July by RCW 70.77.395. BMC 10.24.130 prohibits salesin Bellingham on the 5th of July, a restriction of just a single day!Actual use during June and July is reduced in Bellingham by BMC 10.24.130, from the 8-days allowed by RCW 70.77.395,to ONLY on the 4th of July!Past experience has shown this simply does not work!

IV.OTHER BANS IN WASHINGTON: Currently more that 50 cities in the State of Washington enforce total prohibitions of consumer fireworks. Spokane, for example, (See Link at right) put such a ban in place in 1993, resulting, by 2003,in a 95% reduction in fireworks-related fires (from 1044between 1983 and 1993to 46in the 10-years following the ban)and an 87% reduction in fireworks-related injuries (from 290 between 1983 and 1993 to 37 in the 10-years after the ban). The Spokane ban, per fire department officals in Spokane, has resulted in a paradigm shift that continues to make consumer fireworks there "socially unacceptable". And this is the case in spite of Spokane's proximity to the Colville Indian Reservation, a source of fireworks - including illegal ones - much like the Lummi Reservation here in Whatcom County.

V.BOTTOM LINE: Aban of consumer fireworks has been successfulelsewherein this State and, with your support, it can work here in the City of Bellingham.Again, thank you for your interest and assistance!

Updates

June 7, 2010

Hit 100 signatures. Thanks to everyone for jumping in early on this.

Reached 100 supporters

June 7, 2010

8 Comments

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Nadine Haynes
1 year ago Featured

I think personal fireworks should be banned nation wide they are harmful to wild life, people, and pets are lost evey year also to many people are Injured or killed by fireworks

F
Fred A Daugert
7 years ago Featured

I was coming back from watching fireworks at the Alabama hill overpass and some kids were having a fireworks party at a walled in enclosure next to the house at ViningSt.and Vining lane ( on a bicycle) and they were firing 'mortars' only a few feet in the air ( MUCH too low-very unprofessional) and blowing up with great loudness).Very startling and quite dangerous.

M
Molly Duba
8 years ago Featured

I'm already worrying about 4th of July and how to cope with the intense noise another year. It's so obnoxious and my pets suffer so much in spite of my efforts to protect them from the relentless booming. It's stupid and time to put a stop to it!

D
David Duncan
10 years ago Featured

It's to stop thé sales or fireworks in thé city of Bellingham. Too many people are setting off fireworks in residential areas which translates into a disturbance as well as a fire hazard and litter . D. D.

J
Jeannine chapman
11 years ago Featured

Fireworks banned and they have been going off for over an hour by Lakeway and Euclid. Hoping the twin fawns stay in my back yard and don't get frightened and hit on Lakeway. Real hot and have to shut my windows as so noisy. Finally stopped at 11:10 when I found this on the internet. Doesn't provide who to call and if they are taking this seriously

A
Anonymous
12 years ago Featured

I want consumer fireworks banned in Clark County Washington too! My neighbors set off their fireworks EVERY weekend with zero consequences! How can a barking dog bring every cop in the county but several booms loud enough to shake my windows go unnoticed!

A
Anonymous
1 year ago

for the animals, environment, and the vulnerable

C
Cynthia Stocks
11 years ago

we need to ban fireworks STATE wide