Council to hold fire danger meeting

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, June 29th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council will hold a special meeting today (Tuesday) at 4 p.m. According to City Clerk Kammy Hill, the purpose is to discuss current local fire risk conditions.

The council will also discuss the status of public fireworks displays in the Walla Walla area for the upcoming Fourth of July. Additionally, council members will consider adopting an ordinance that prohibit the discharge of fireworks within city limits when there are extreme fire risk conditions.

Due to occupancy limitations, members of the public are encouraged to attend and participate in this special meeting by using Zoom. The meeting ID is 823 6926 3354. Members of the public can also call 253-215-8782 and then enter the meeting ID.

Shortly after it was announced the Walla Walla City Council would meet today, Walla Walla County Emergency Management posted this question on its Facebook page: “Are temporary fireworks bans possible?”

According to Walla Walla County Emergency Management, cities and counties do not have the authority to impose an immediate fireworks ban without the one-year waiting period, no matter how dry or dangerous the conditions are.

However, that all changes if the governor proclaims a state of emergency. Under state law, a state of emergency allows the governor to prohibit “such other activities as he or she reasonably believes should be prohibited to help preserve and maintain life, health, property or the public peace.”