Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker says firefighting resources are wearing thin across Fremont County in the face of more wildfires across the state.
The Fremont County Board of Commissioners met in special session this morning with a single item of business. At the request of Sheriff Jim Beicker the Board voted to ban the sale, use, and possession of all fireworks at the 4th of July approaches. The resolution cited the fact that the Sheriff has consulted with other entities sharing jurisdiction concerning fires and has assessed the fire danger, concluding that the sale of fireworks should be banned to reduce the risk of more wildfires. The resolution went on to point out that Fremont County has already suffered a significant wildfire loss at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park and that another wildfire was being fought in Bull Gulch in western Fremont County at the time the resolution was being considered.
Acknowledging some economic impacts, Sheriff Beicker said “We don’t take this lightly. We know we’re impacting business, but we don’t know how we can ask law enforcement to chase these calls with a lack of firefighting resources. It just feels like the right thing to do”. Asked how he intends to enforce the ban on use and possession of fireworks Sheriff Beicker said he expects his deputies will use a common sense approach. He says if someone is caught in possession or firing off fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county, a summons probably won’t be issued if they voluntarily comply. But the Sheriff said if there is a repeated occurrence or there is resistance to comply then a court summons will be issued.
Commission Chair Debbie Bell said she was told by the City of Cañon City that it’s too late to place a ban on fireworks sales in the city, but that the city officials will strongly urge fireworks dealers not to set up shop in Canon. District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden said with fireworks stands a likelihood in Cañon City it would seem like a futile effort for the Commissioners to take such action. But Norden said the highest risk of wildfires is in the rural, unincorporated areas of the county and the message needs to be sent that fireworks will not be tolerated in the fire prone areas.
A week ago the Board of Commissioners met in emergency session at the request of Sheriff Beicker and imposed a Stage 1 fire ban for all unincorporated areas of the county.
The Commissioners’ action today followed a joint decision by Sheriff Beicker and Cañon City District Fire Chief Dave Delvecchio that a community fireworks display will not be permitted this 4th of July on the city’s Skyline Drive. They again cited the lack of firefighting resources and the extreme fire danger. Last year’s community fireworks display was also cancelled during the height of the drought and wildfire season.