Orting resident urges tighter fireworks limits after Fourth of July disturbances

Jonelle Wheeler, an Orting resident of approximately 19 years, used the meeting's public-comment period on July 9 to urge the City Council to consider restricting fireworks inside city limits except for trained operators.

Wheeler said her neighborhood experiences regular fireworks debris and loud fireworks displays, and she described finding residue in backyards and hearing frequent sirens on July 4. She asked the council to track incidents such as house fires or severe injuries related to consumer fireworks so the city can make informed policy decisions.

The clerk said the council had received one written comment from Jennifer Kaczynski about fireworks; the comment was distributed to council members and placed with meeting materials but not read aloud because it exceeded the council's public-comment reading limit. The council did not take action on the fireworks remarks at the meeting.

Wheeler did not request a specific ordinance or timeline; she asked the council to consider limiting consumer fireworks to trained operators and to collect incident data. The council acknowledged her concerns and said contact information for public speakers would be distributed after the meeting if needed.