Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following email on Thu., Jun. 8, 2023.
Wishing you a safe, sane Fourth of July
All of us at Island County look forward to celebrating the Fourth of July like many of the community members we serve – with barbecues, parades, and festive displays of red, white, and blue. At the same time, we encourage people to get to know which fireworks are legal to buy and sell, when and where it is legal to light them off and how to prevent fireworks-related injuries and damage.
Across Washington state, and that includes in all of Island County, it’s illegal to sell or discharge firecrackers, bottle rockets, skyrockets, missiles and M-80s. All homemade fireworks are also illegal to sell and discharge.
Fireworks are expressly prohibited in all of Island County parks. In fact, in addition to county parks, fireworks are illegal in the following locations:
- Federal lands, including land managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and U.S. Forest Service
- Public property, public streets, sidewalks, parking lots and school property
- On private property without the owner’s permission, and from private property onto public property
Hours legally designated for the discharge of legal fireworks on Whidbey and Camano islands are restricted to 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 3 and July 5 and 9 a.m. to midnight July 4.
While certain fireworks may be legal, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re safe, especially for children, according to the National Safety Council.
Sparklers, for example, burn at about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals. Sparklers can quickly ignite clothing, and children have received severe burns from dropping sparklers on their feet. According to the National Fire Protection Association, sparklers alone account for more than 25% of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries. For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for nearly half of the total estimated injuries.
We believe it’s possible to celebrate our nation’s birthday safely and legally, and to help we’ve created a page on the Island County website with additional information, links and more to keep you informed.
Visit the page at https://wa-islandcounty.civicplus.com/636/Fireworks-Laws-Safety-Tips or scan the QR code below.
