DRAPER CITY, Utah (ABC4) – During an emergency council meeting Wednesday night, council members voted on tighter firework restrictions because of the abundant fire danger within Draper City limits.
Draper City has more than 4,000 acres of preserved, dry, and flammable open space that backs up against people’s homes.
Fire Chief Clint Smith tells ABC4, “This means that we can have rapid fire spread and it’s something we don’t want to see and put people in harm’s way.”
Cheif Smith is asking all residents to stick to the three fireworks shows during Draper Days.
He adds, “Our fear is that people will not listen to these types of talks, these types of opportunities where we talk about the danger. They will think it doesn’t apply to them or that it will never happen to them.”
The fire danger is so concerning, the Draper City Council enacted a zero-tolerance policy for any fireworks set off in a restricted area.
Mayor Troy Walker says, “You’re going to get the $1,000 fine, you’re going to get the class c misdemeanor, and if you start a fire you’re going to get to pay for it. And, you’re going to get to pay for the ancillary expenses. You know if you start a fire and a firefighter gets hurt, or we lose some equipment, it can get very expensive.”
If you live east of I-15 to 1300 East From Kimball Lane down to 13800 South, you’re basically in the only area legal to set off personal fireworks. Outside of that area, fireworks are banned.
“Most of the time these fires are started by minors with fireworks. If you’re a parent and you got a kid, and you’re buying them fireworks, you need to sit them down and you really need to let them understand, you could really cause a problem,” says the Mayor. “And, if you got little kids or minors, teenagers, you need to tell them you get caught it’s going to be expensive and it could be life-changing.”
Both Draper City Fire and Police say they will have extra staff to enforce the laws and put out any fires leading up to the nation’s holiday.
