This story was originally published on LincolnChronicle.org and is used with permission.
Anticipating a hot and dry Fourth of July, the Newport city council voted this week to ban personal fireworks this summer.
Citing an increased fire risk, the council voted unanimously Monday to ban personal fireworks within city limits until Oct. 15 – sparking some pushback from residents. As councilors weigh tradition with caution, a more permanent ban on fireworks may be on the horizon.
Newport is one of the few cities in Lincoln County that allows personal fireworks, but has an ordinance that allows a temporarily ban if weather conditions create dangerous conditions. The council last banned them during the summer of 2023.
Personal fireworks are permanently banned in Yachats, Waldport, Depoe Bay and Lincoln City. They are also banned in unincorporated Lincoln County and prohibited on beaches, state parks and state and federal forests.
The bans do not apply to the big, sponsored commercial displays – July 4 in Newport and Yachats and July 3 in Waldport. Lincoln City, which permanently banned the use, possession and sale of fireworks in 2022, will hold a drone show this year over Siletz Bay.
During the council’s Monday meeting, fire chief Rob Murphy presented forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting the summer will be hotter and drier than normal with a heightened chance of lightning and an increased risk of fires.
A few members of the public voiced their opposition to a ban, declaring the importance of celebrating Independence Day and arguing that weather conditions were often difficult to predict accurately.
“Our family has enjoyed fireworks for all of these years … it’s a big part of our family tradition,” said Aaron Bretz, the director of operations at the Port of Newport.
To councilor Robert Emond, the task was balancing tradition with safety. Emond first leaned towards preserving tradition, but said the recent Los Angeles wildfires gave him pause.
“I’d rather go to the Bayfront and not have my neighbors’ houses burned down,” Emond said. “So, I think that is where I’m tending to lean now, is that as the world’s getting warmer and drier.”
While the temporary ban targets the use of fireworks, it does not ban the sale of fireworks within city limits.
Mayor Jan Kaplan said he was in favor of a permanent ban on the use and sale of fireworks and hoped to further the discussion, especially as technology advances and celebratory displays opt for laser and drone shows. The discussion is likely to be brought up again at the beginning of next year so that retail firework sellers will have notice if there is a permanent ban.
“I appreciate, you know, the sense of tradition around fireworks, and we grew up with that, but we’re living in a different world, and we’re living in a world that the climate is changing, and for me, to put my community at risk and hope that it rains doesn’t feel like a safe way to go,” Kaplan said.
After the council unanimously voted in favor of the temporary ban, a member of the audience booed, while another called the decision “un-American."
Some of those in opposition to the ban raised concerns over taking time away from law enforcement, but police chief Jason Malloy said that isn’t the case.
“It’s not a proactive thing for us because of time and staffing,” he said. “There are so many people in town and so many other things occurring that it isn’t prioritized.”
