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Orem fire officials say fireworks ban cut incidents; wildland team highlights state deployments and revenue
Summary
Fire Chief Mark Sanderson told the council fireworks‑related starts in the response area dropped from 24 to 2 after the city backed a statewide ban; Assistant Chief Sean Hurst and Captain Mike Hickman described the wildland team's deployments, training, and roughly $1.4 million in gross revenue that helps fund overtime and equipment purchases.
Fire Chief Mark Sanderson and Orem’s wildland leaders briefed the council on two related public‑safety topics: the local fallout from a fireworks ban and the growing capability of the city’s wildland firefighting program.
Sanderson said the combined effect of the statewide ban and local compliance produced a dramatic reduction in fires tied to fireworks: "We had 24 firework related fire starts within the 3 communities" in earlier years, he said, and "we reduced those fires by 90% to 2 firework fire start related fires" in the most recent reporting period; both were outside Orem city limits (a garbage‑can fire in Linden and a small grass fire in Vineyard). Sanderson said the department issued about 40 warnings and two citations for repeat offenders and offered refunds of inspection/permit fees to independent fireworks vendors as a gesture during the ban.
Assistant Chief Sean Hurst and Captain Mike Hickman gave a detailed walk‑through of the wildland unit’s structure and recent national deployments. Hurst said the unit has expanded from a small team to a recognized cooperator that provides type‑qualified resources (engine bosses, incident commanders, task‑force leaders). The program, Hurst said, has generated roughly $1.4 million in gross revenue to the city — a sum that primarily covers overtime for deployed personnel and helps fund equipment purchases, including a Type‑3 engine planned for next summer.
Hickman described operational experience on large incidents such as the Iron Fire near Eureka and the Dixie Fire deployments, and said qualifications now include task‑force leadership, engine boss positions, and multiple firefighter Type‑1 certifications. Council members praised the team’s work and asked about logistics and future budget requests; staff said they expect to bring a budget expansion request related to aviation or heavy equipment in a future cycle.
Why it matters: the fireworks ban appears (per Sanderson’s account) to have reduced incident volume and potential for structure loss, while the wildland program provides mutual‑aid capability, training, and revenue‑offsets for overtime and equipment.
What’s next: staff will continue to monitor wildfire risk, coordinate with state partners about the statewide restrictions, and pursue funding to sustain and expand the wildland program.
