Yikes! ….’Severe cuts and even closures of fire stations. 17 reductions of service are possible.
1. Closure of Station 25 deer Park
2. Closure of Station 23 Black Diamond
3. Limit response to non-injury falls (lift assist)
4. Cease response to burn complaints
5. Cease response to smoke investigations* …
15. Cease Fireworks standby in Port Angeles …’
I sent this to a friend in P.A. who on the 15th spoke to the City Council.
Jan was applauded by the audience and of the Council members seemed to mull over the plan to go from ‘restrict’ to ban. My own presentation to Sequim will deal with metals and contaminants.
Points 9. Clallam County as whole should set an example that there are safe and better alternatives to celebrating holidays than the use of dangerous and toxic fireworks. I would like this this counsel to consider a ban on personal fireworks and maintained our public display. Or make a laser light show! This would free up officers to search out, fine and arrest those who insist on purchasing, and discharge their illegal explosives directly at their neighbors.
10. All such material should be confiscated and destroyed after being used to convict. I would further hope that these people be put into orange jumpsuits and do cleanup work and be responsible for restitution should they injure another party, man or beast.
We on the Olympic Peninsula have been blessed with a pristine and beautiful environment that others do not have the opportunity to live in and it is our responsibility to protect it every day of the year. Thank you!
She also presented my own Fireworks 101 and their dangers. Included are many good links as well as proactive steps taken by the city of New York under Mayor Bloomberg.
Why Reservations can get away from importing these things seems incredible. The ATF is a joke and perhaps the question remains why Customs or Homeland Security does not prevent the import of these “illegal fireworks” into the country to begin with. Throw in Federal and State DOE and one wonders ???
Back to the article and the cuts to services, Jan’s major point was if cannot provide the protection i.e. through the fire dept. or police agencies. – ‘Restricted’ is unenforceable, Three people in P.A. called the police and Sheriff, so did I. They did not send anyone out. The resources simply weren’t there. One suggestion being to use ALL sales taxes on legal stands and direct them to these agencies. As for the reservation sales of illegal stuff, we don’t even tax them for the sales.
As I remember both Congress and the State tried to get them to pay taxes on cigarettes in 1995. I don’t think it went anywhere. “Never paid them, never will, Native Americans say. Other than the federal income tax, government – particularly the state – has little right to collect taxes in Indian Country, Native Americans say.
Yet our counties have to deal with the protective costs – throw in medical care often as not.
Herb Senft