‘I think we dodged a bullet,’ Whatcom fire chief says of Fourth of July celebrations
Despite dangerously dry conditions that prompted local and statewide burn bans and calls to limit firework usage over the Fourth of July weekend, Whatcom County escaped the holiday relatively unscathed with no large outdoor fires or serious traumatic injuries reported.
So were we good, or just lucky?
“I think we dodged a bullet,” North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Chief Jason Van der Veen told The Bellingham Herald Tuesday, July 6.
Not that area firefighters weren’t busy.
The PulsePoint app showed Whatcom County fire crews responded to 23 outdoor or vegetation fires on Sunday and 10 Monday, July 5.
“We responded to a couple fireworks-related grass fires, but ... they only effected the homeowner,” Van der Veen said. “They were just smoldering on short grass.”
North Whatcom wasn’t the only department to welcome fewer calls for fireworks-related incidents than expected:
▪ Assistant Chief Mitch Nolze said South Whatcom Fire Authority had no significant calls for fireworks-related fires or injuries over the weekend.
▪ The emergency department at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham received only two patients with fireworks-related injuries over the weekend, spokesperson Bev Mayhew told The Herald. Both were treated and released.
▪ Whatcom Fire District 1 Chief Mel Blankers said he heard of very few holiday-related calls in the Nooksack and Everson area, saying, “We came through it pretty well.”
▪ The Lynden Fire Department also only saw a few small grass fires that the homeowners were able to put out, Chief Mark Billmire said, calling the weekend a “win-win.”
▪ Whatcom Fire District 14 Chief Jerry Debruin told The Herald there were no calls of any kind related to fireworks in the Sumas-Kendall-Maple Falls area.
“It was amazing, we didn’t have one incident related to fireworks or anything — no fire or EMS,” Debruin said. “I’ve been giving the guys a bad time saying we did such a good job educating the community.”
Before the weekend, the dry conditions caused by a lack of recent rain and last week’s record-setting heat prompted Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu to urge residents not to use consumer fireworks during this year’s Fourth of July celebrations.
Ferndale mayor Greg Hanson also urged residents to omit fireworks from their weekend celebrations, saying, “Let’s not burn our city down,” in a video plea.
“I’d like to think that some of our messaging through various sources and what the executive said played some part,” Nolze told The Herald. “If stressing the fire danger and the anticipated dry conditions caused some people to scale back some of their fireworks use, then we’ll take it.”
Despite having no fireworks-related calls, Debruin said he saw celebrations were about on par with normal years, especially in the rural area of District 14. Van der Veen also said he saw a higher number of people celebrating in Birch Bay than have been seen in recent years.
“I think it had an effect,” Debruin said of Sidhu’s statement on holiday fireworks. “Everybody did their thing on the Fourth, but no as much on the day before or the day after, which is the gist of what the executive and people were asking — to limit themselves to one day.”
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office activity reports showed a total of 101 incidents related to fireworks Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with more than half (58) occurring July 4.
The Bellingham Police Department’s incident log showed only one incident specifically mentioning fireworks over the weekend — a fight between three people regarding fireworks reported at 12:15 a.m. Monday in the 1000 block of Railroad Avenue.
The Herald has asked both law enforcement agencies for the total number of fireworks complaints received over the weekend and how that compares to previous years.
Additionally, Whatcom County Jail records show 14 people were booked on suspicion DUI between Friday and Monday morning.
‘It’s still dry’
Despite making it through the holiday weekend relatively safely, Whatcom County residents still should remain vigilant, the area fire chiefs said.
One only need look around the region to see that conditions are ripe for wildfires.
According to the CBC, there were 199 active wildfires burning in British Columbia on Monday.
Here in Washington State, the Batterman Fire prompted evacuations east of Wenatchee, while the entire state is preparing for potentially the worst wildfire season yet.
In an effort to limit the chances of fires in the area, a Stage 1 Burn Ban in Whatcom County went into place June 25.
“It’s one of the earliest burn bans I’ve seen in quite a while,” Van der Veen said. “We need continued vigilance and people to be very careful. If you see something, say something, and please adhere to all the regulations.”
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources also enacted a statewide burn ban on Thursday, July 1.
“It’s still dry — extremely dry for this time of year,” Debruin said. “This week’s weather is better than what we saw last week, but it is still dry out there. The nights are cooling off and there is some moisture, but it warms up quickly. Conditions are dry and they’re going to stay dry.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 12:37 PM.
