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Glenrock will allow family fireworks on town property with limits while county under level‑one fire ban
Summary
Faced with a countywide level‑one fire ban and Douglas’s cancellation of its fireworks show, Fire Chief Shawn Lindsey and councilors agreed to allow families to discharge fireworks on town property under controls including extra fire coverage, a vehicle cap and the right to shut the event down if it becomes unsafe.
Fire Chief Shawn Lindsey told the council on June 22 that Douglas had canceled its fireworks show and that a level‑one fire ban is in effect in the county. "We do have a fire ban going," Lindsey said as he opened a discussion about public safety and Independence Day events.
Council members, the fire department and event organizers debated whether to cancel town fireworks or manage them under tight controls. Organizers asked the council to permit family fireworks on town property rather than have people take them elsewhere; an organizer proposed limiting entry to a fixed number of vehicles. "We're thinking about cutting it off at 350 cars in there," one organizer stated during the exchange.
Officials discussed logistics to reduce risk: additional fire‑department trucks positioned near the event, extra law‑enforcement presence to control crowds and an agreed plan to shut the event down if conditions deteriorate. The chief said the town would provide on‑site fire crews and would coordinate with the sheriff’s office and rural fire services to staff the event.
Council members also noted that the event center’s professional show was sold out, and that family fireworks concentrated at the town site could be easier to monitor than dispersed private use. Several council members and the chief acknowledged the decision was difficult but said allowing a managed, monitored event would give officials some control rather than pushing people to unsupervised locations.
Outcome: The council agreed to allow fireworks on town property under the conditions discussed and to stop the event if it became unsafe. No formal ordinance or roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript; the decision was managed by direction and operational planning between the chief, organizers and council.
