A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
Over at the InterLake, Sam Wilson reports that although the fire danger is already very high, the Flathead County Commissioners are not ready to declare a fire risk emergency and ban private displays of fireworks on 4 July:
Commissioners Pam Holmquist and Gary Krueger both said they had were not actively discussing it, emphasizing they would need to hear those requests from fire officials before they consider such an action.
“I would weigh what the fire chief had to say, but I’m patriotic — the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday,” Krueger said. “At some point, if this continues, we will have some kind of fire restrictions, and that may be before the Fourth or after the Fourth and may include fireworks or it may not.”
He noted that even if the county attempted such a ban, enforcement would be difficult if not impossible.
Fellow Commissioner Phil Mitchell said Wednesday that he didn’t think it was dry enough at this point to warrant restrictions.
“On the fireworks thing, I don’t think it’s an issue at this point,” he said. “I don’t think it’s that dry, but that’s just my opinion… If the fire marshals or the people that work in the fire arena, that look at fires, ask us to do it, we would consider it.”
Translation: the commissioners fear flaming “you spoiled my Fourth of July” messages from voters more than they fear flaming fields, forests, and houses. And they seem incapable of imagining a fireworks catastrophe that leads to voters telling them, “You let my house burn down.”
Commissioner Krueger correctly notes that a fireworks ban would be hard to enforce. Not all would get the word, not all who did would observe the ban.
But that’s a red herring.
Most would get the word, and most who did would observe the ban. Even a partially successful ban would reduce the opportunities for fires, and improve the odds that resources would be available to extinguish the fires that did start.
Commissioner Mitchell’s sense of how dry it is comports poorly with objective fact. One measure of how much moisture is in the mountains and woods is how much water is flowing in our rivers. June normally is the wettest month for the Flathead, but this June is among the driest in history. The Flathead River is very low. Because one-third of the river at Columbia Falls is regulated by Hungry Horse Dam, the best indicator of natural streamflow is the combined streamflow of the North and Middle Forks (the gauges are 3–4 miles upstream from the confluence of the forks at Blankenship). Today, that combined streamflow is the fourth lowest for the 1940–2015 record:
According to Wilson, the Flathead’s fire chiefs may not recommend that the commissioners ban private fireworks:
The Flathead County Association of Fire Chiefs has the power to make that recommendation. Mahugh noted that fire chiefs will meet Monday night to discuss current fire hazards and said fireworks would be a topic of discussion.
However, Nikki Stephan, the county’s emergency management planner, said she does not expect the local fire officials to push the issue to the commissioners, instead focusing on public appeals through the news media to encourage people to be safe during their celebrations.
The association’s meeting will come after a “tabletop discussion” the commissioners will hold at 2 p.m. Monday with regional fire officials. Krueger said they plan to discuss fire risks headed into the Fourth of July weekend and run through emergency scenarios requiring multiple agencies interacting.
Public appeals through the news media — and one hopes, through social media and local blogs and websites — will help. But they are just that, appeals for voluntary compliance, and may be pretty weak tea. This is a situation that requires strong mandatory measures. Mandatory measures in situations such as these require public officials with starch in their spines.
