Slow year for firework mishaps on the West Plains, authorities say

First responders in Airway Heights and Medical Lake enjoyed a slower than normal year regarding firework incident responses around July 4.

The Airway Heights Fire Department responded to three fires that night, according to Fire Chief Mitch Metzger.

“(The fires) might have been caused by fireworks,” Metzger said. “Two of them were in trash cans and one of them was a brush fire, but we never actually found it so we called it in and we never did see it.”

One person was “checked out” for a firework-related injury but ended up not being injured. That person signed a release, Metzger said.

“Those numbers were low compared to other years,” Metzger added.

Airway Heights Police Chief Brad Richmond echoed the sentiment of a slow Independence Day. Police only received one anonymous call for service relating to fireworks, but found “nothing” upon arrival.

“We had very little calls for service in that regard,” Richmond said.

Medical Lake was also quiet compared to other years, according to Spokane County Fire District 3 Chief Cody Rohrbach. He said the district responded to only two calls July 4, one of which was medical-related and the other a small brush fire caused by juveniles. It’s unknown whether the brush fire was firework-related.

Rohrbach said the district responds to almost 600 calls per year, so only two calls on July 4 would be an average day of response on a “normal” day, but good for a holiday that involves fireworks.

“Overall, it was pretty quiet this year,” Rohrbach said. “There’s been a lot of awareness in the public around fire danger. I like to think that some of the prevention efforts are working … it’s a credit to the community, because there was a lot of fireworks within the city.”

Airway Heights and Medical Lake both allow fireworks within city limits, which is becoming increasingly rare among Washington towns and cities. Statewide, fireworks have caused 92 fires, according to a July press release from state patrol. Forty-five percent were caused by legal fireworks. There have been 173 firework-caused injuries, one of which turned fatal in Snohomish County “from the premature explosion of a mortar-style firework,” the press release stated.

Drew Lawson can be reached at [email protected].