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Skamania County adopts ordinance letting fire marshal impose temporary fireworks restrictions based on fire danger
Summary
The Skamania County Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance 2025-01 to allow the county fire marshal to implement temporary fireworks restrictions tied to the county's fire danger matrix; the ordinance exempts permitted public displays and staff will collect a year of data before zone-specific burn rules take effect.
The Skamania County Board of Commissioners on March 31, 2025, adopted Ordinance 2025-01, giving the county fire marshal authority to implement temporary restrictions on fireworks during periods of extreme fire danger following a public hearing and a unanimous voice vote at about 5:30 p.m.
County staff told the board the ordinance is written to "allow us, our fire marshal, to implement a firework span on your extreme situations" and that it "links it back to the fire matrix," meaning any restriction would be data-driven rather than discretionary.
The measure links fireworks restrictions to the county's fire danger matrix and allows the county to apply different restrictions to different parts of the county. County staff said officials plan to analyze a year of data before applying zone-specific changes and that "the large debris burn files going in the burn ban" may take effect earlier next year for the east side of the county. Staff also noted the ordinance's emergency language specifies use of the latest fire-matrix data and that the rule would not automatically prohibit organized, permitted public fireworks displays when proper safety measures are in place.
During the public comment period, Mary Rebar urged a broader ban. Rebar said, "I think it's a good start. I would like to see, all, fireworks, banned in our community," and cited concerns about environmental toxins, impacts on pets and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and hearing damage. Rebar also told the board she found a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health app that measures decibels and said, "Children, according to the World Health Organization, should not be exposed to anything more than a 20 decibels and adults a 45."
After public testimony and brief discussion, a commissioner moved to adopt Ordinance 2025-01 and a second was recorded. The board approved the ordinance by voice vote; no roll-call vote with individual names was recorded in the public hearing transcript.
Votes at a glance Ordinance 2025-01 — Temporary fireworks restriction during extreme weather: Motion to adopt made and seconded; approved by a voice vote (ayes recorded; no roll-call recorded). Staff said the ordinance ties restrictions to the county fire danger matrix, allows for different east/west restrictions based on data, and exempts permitted public displays. Voucher approval — Voucher number 20284, amount $8,128.55: Motion made and seconded; approved by voice vote. The transcript records the voucher had been tabled at the prior meeting.
The board closed the hearing, returned to regular order and approved remaining business, including the voucher. The chair adjourned the meeting and the board noted it will reconvene for its next regular meeting on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
