Ocean Shores public safety committee reviews July 4 response after beach brush fire, fireworks injuries

Ocean Shores' Public Safety Committee reviewed the city's July 4 response on July 15, reporting that a brush fire near Butter Clam and Marine View Drive was contained before homes were threatened and that police and fire units handled dozens of medical calls, multiple fireworks injuries and hundreds of total incidents over the holiday period.

Committee members and department leaders said the brush fire was roughly five acres and moved toward the secondary dunes before firefighters stopped it. "It was starting to get into the thick stuff where we have to take a defensive position and transition to saving homes and evacuating people," the Fire Chief said, adding that a dozer was dispatched and staged but was not taken off its trailer because the fire was knocked down in time.

Why it matters: The holiday weekend strained local resources — Ocean Shores' fire and police leaders described heavy demand for emergency medical service and beach-fire responses that required outside help and temporary staffing increases.

Fire department details: Fire personnel reported more than 35 medical responses between July 4 and 5, three serious fireworks injuries (a facial injury, a 13-year-old injured after a mortar was placed in a car, and a severe hand injury), six brush fires (including the Butter Clam incident), five dumpster fires and roughly 83 unattended beach fires that crews extinguished after visitors left their beach fires burning. "We kept the station staffed, with structural engines and medic units, and then we had three brush units out on the beach," the Fire Chief said. One brush engine experienced a mechanical problem and became stuck; public works provided heavy equipment to free it.

Police response and counts: Ocean Shores police reported 85 incidents between 8 a.m. on July 4 and 4 a.m. on Saturday, a lower total than last year. Officers also reported 304 calls for service between 8 a.m. on July 2 (the first day fireworks are permitted) and 6 p.m. on Sunday, during which the department recorded five arrests. Police said they seized four firearms across three separate incidents during the weekend. "We were preparing for the worst, and it was, like, really mellow, for the most part," the Police Chief said, while noting some enforcement contacts are not logged to dispatch when radio traffic is extremely busy.

Marine patrol and boating enforcement: Marine enforcement completed 37 contacts over the holiday weekend and documented 22 safety violations — most commonly missing personal flotation devices for the number of people aboard, missing throwable flotation devices and missing sound-producing devices for small craft. Several inspections were completed at boat launches and docks before vessels entered the water.

Traffic and enforcement posture: Officials credited a revised traffic plan and a visible law-enforcement presence for reducing disorder and improving emergency vehicle access. One committee member suggested a coordinated "show of force" parade of vehicles down the beach in future years to remind visitors that enforcement is present.

Resource and staffing impacts: Fire leadership said the department hired seven outside wildland firefighters and used four local volunteers to cover the holiday; staffing decisions were constrained by statewide wildland-fire demand. Departments fed and paid outside crews at state rates, officials said.

Ending: Committee members praised interagency coordination among Ocean Shores police, fire, public works, state patrol and park units, and scheduled their next meeting for August 19.