Medical Lake council hears residents— concerns after fireworks ban; chiefs cite fire-risk data

Residents packed the podium and online comment board at the Medical Lake City Council—s July 7 meeting to press for clearer rules and enforcement after the fire chief issued a short-notice prohibition on fireworks over the Independence Day weekend. The debate ended with council directing staff to return with a workshop on possible code changes and enforcement options.

"I was concerned about the weather," said Art Kullenburg, a city resident who urged the council to consider allowing a makeup fireworks window such as New Year—s to reduce year-round storage risks and unsupervised use. Jeff Estes, another resident, told council: "From my understanding, there's an ordinance in place that still allows the businesses to sell even though the fire chief has made the decision to ban them for the season." Estes asked whether sales would also be banned and what enforcement occurred on the holiday.

City staff and fire officials said the ban was a data-driven public-safety choice. The Fire Chief, speaking remotely, summarized conditions in the weeks leading up to July 4: "For the month of June, for the Medical Lake area, normal would be 1.17 inches of precipitation. We had 0.26." He said the combination of near-record fuel heights, low humidity and forecasted strong winds prompted chiefs to enact countywide burn restrictions and the fire chief—s temporary ban to reduce human-caused fire risk.

Deputy Chief Aaron Buller said staff received many calls from residents who had already purchased fireworks and were concerned about losses; he described an outreach and education approach used by extra-duty deputies on the holiday and acknowledged enforcement limits. "Who's gonna pay for my fireworks?" Buller said was a frequent citizen question, and he added that short-duration ignitions make establishing probable cause difficult in many cases.

Spokane County Fire District 3 Deputy Chief Bill Dinsett provided local incident numbers to underscore the risk: "In 2026 we had 24 [incidents]... 8 fires, 7 were firework related that we know about," and weekend totals for the district were higher than prior years, he said.

Council members repeatedly expressed disappointment in residents who ignored the ban. Mayor Cooper said the chief—s temporary prohibition "has the force of law, and our community should have honored that like any other law." Several council members recommended linking the start of sales to a firm, short sales window if future bans are likely, to avoid the perception of mixed signals.

City Administrator Sonny and sheriff—s-office staff also briefed council on enforcement realities countywide: Spokane County 911 received hundreds of calls related to fireworks over the holiday and deputies must prioritize life-safety emergencies, and enforcement often requires an officer to observe the ignition, which is difficult when many violations happen simultaneously.

After discussion, council agreed to bring the matter back as a workshop to consider code amendments, public education, clearer local penalties and enforcement options that could improve compliance while recognizing legal constraints around restricting commerce.

The workshop will be scheduled so staff can develop options for sale windows, penalties and education and report back to council; no ordinance amendments or penalties were adopted at the meeting.