From the Fringe … If it's this hot and dry, then fireworks should not have been allowed in Havre and Hill County

Are we in a drought or aren’t we? Is it dry here or isn’t it?

The National Weather Service and USDA both say we are and say it is. And it’s those kinds of institutions that I trust.

So, if we’re in a drought, and Hill County has already been declared a disaster area, then I just have one question for the people who make these types of decisions. And that question is, why were fireworks allowed over this past Fourth of July holiday?

I just don’t understand the thinking there, and the 11 fire calls the Havre Fire Department received last Sunday night only served to back up my question as being more than valid.

Now, while fire calls on the Fourth of July may be perfectly normal, if indeed we are in the drought that people say we are, then it stands to reason that fireworks this year were a bigger risk than normal. If we are in that type of drought situation right now, then, it stands to reason that grass and other natural fuels would have been more dry and ready to burn than a normal year.

I’m not an expert, but I can figure that one out on my own.

So again, and I’m sorry if I’m pooping on the party here, but I just don’t understand why fireworks were worth the risk this year — given where Havre and Hill County are in terms of dry conditions.

And the lack of a decision to ban fireworks this year, while other counties on both ends of the state, Custer to the east, and Missoula in the west, had total fireworks bans, is confusing based on the drought conditions and what the rest of the summer holds.

In terms of that, my guess is, we could end up facing water restrictions in Havre and Hill County if things don’t improve, and if we get to a point where water restrictions become necessary, as they already have become in other parts of Montana, then I will fully understand and support that decision. And yet, we couldn’t burden ourselves to go a year without fireworks in Havre? I just don’t get that.

I just don’t understand why we needed to put ourselves, our neighbors, our first responders and our entire community at risk of fire and possibly worse when in the days leading up to Fourth of July weekend, all anyone could talk about was how hot and dry it was, and how there was no end in sight. If the conditions Havre and Hill County had been experiencing in the days and weeks leading up to the Fourth weren’t the type of conditions to prohibit the use of fireworks then what kind of conditions would it take for a fireworks ban?

I get it, the Fourth is a big deal to a lot of people, and after what we’ve all went through with the pandemic, maybe even more so this year than most years. People were ready and needed to celebrate. I also understand that fireworks are a nice way to make money. That’s not lost on me, considering my family once owned the local Golden Dragon stands. So, I know all about fireworks and the Fourth of July.

That however, doesn’t mean fireworks were the right thing to do in Havre and Hill County this year. There were plenty of other ways to honors and celebrate our nation’s birthday, and while fireworks is the fun way to do it, in my opinion, given the drought we’re in and the conditions being what they were, fireworks were not worth the risk this year, and they should have been prohibited.

And honestly, I think we really dodged a bullet with them not being banned. We were dang lucky things didn’t turn out worse in our community, and having said that, thanks to the Havre Fire Department for making sure they didn’t turn out worse.