Keith County officials weigh fireworks ban as fire chiefs urge caution ahead of July 4

Keith County officials debated whether to keep or lift a countywide fireworks discharge ban ahead of the July 4 period, with local fire chiefs advising caution because of hot weather, low humidity and unusual fuel behavior.

Fire Chief Del Zimmerman told the board that "caution is the best way to proceed," saying county fire departments had not changed their outlook since April and that chiefs remain concerned about available resources to fight fires if fireworks are allowed. He said recent fires have shown that even green grass can burn under unusual conditions, and warned commissioners that "if you choose to proceed with that and allow the discharge of fireworks, you're going to do our jobs. And if there's a fire, we're gonna go put that out."

City manager Gavin told the board he supported his fire chief and said the city planned to discuss its own policy next week. Gavin urged coordination between city and county policies, saying if the city allows sales or discharge while the county bans them, people are likely to travel outside town and create higher-risk ignitions on grass and rangeland. "I would rather not have the city in a ban and the county not have a ban because now we've just put — we've created a problem," he said.

Commissioners and speakers noted the legal window for discharge is set by state rule (sales and discharge often permitted from the 30th through July 4) and that any local ban could be lifted later if conditions improve. Several chiefs (including Gartrell and Olsen, referenced during the discussion) continued to recommend a ban based on present forecasts and fuel conditions; commissioners agreed to revisit the question after the city council meets and to stay in communication with the fire chiefs.

No formal change to the county resolution or an immediate ban-lift motion was taken during the meeting. The board signaled it would revisit the decision the following week, asking staff and the chiefs to provide an updated recommendation and to coordinate with the City of (name in transcript: Gavin/speakers) to remain as consistent as possible.

The debate included explicit recognition that the final authority to lift an existing county resolution rests with county officials: the transcript records that "Corey still has the authority because we have the resolution. He could lift it at any point" but commissioners asked for more information from chiefs before any change.

The board scheduled follow-up discussion next week to decide whether to lift or retain the ban, and asked staff to notify the public of any changes promptly.