REDMOND, OR -- Redmond’s City Council is gathering input on whether fireworks should be allowed inside city limits. As of Monday morning, an online poll showed 35% of respondents believe they should be banned year-round, 41% say they should be allowed all the time, and 11% say they should only be allowed when fire danger is low. 

Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney tells KBND News it’s too early to know just what this year’s fire season will look like, “Just a super-early prediction right now: precipitation starts to dwindle off in April, which is kind of early. We’re hoping that doesn’t happen and it stays around a little longer, like it did last year in June. And then there’s early predictions of a possible fire season going later into October, this year. Our job is to provide that data and background information about how many fires we’ve had, what is the potential if a fire does start. Kind of the education piece of just reminding people if they do plan to use fireworks how to use them safely.”

Redmond Fire and other agencies will talk with the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting about the risk, “We’re going to give them our professional opinions on the fire hazards of fireworks, the dangers that could happen this summer and the Fourth of July. Honestly, the decision is ultimately theirs of whether the data is accepted and they understand there’s still that risk, and they’re willing to accept that risk. The fire department has zero authority on banning fireworks. That all rests with the city or the county.”

Mooney says there were three fireworks-related fires around the last Fourth of July; all were small, caused by legal fireworks disposed of in a container before they were fully cooled. 

It’s unclear when the Redmond City Council will make a final decision.

You can take the Redmond Fireworks Survey here