House Bill 2310 calls for prohibiting (1) The sale, purchase, use, or discharge of consumer fireworks within the state; and (2) Burning outdoors without a permit in any area of the state from June 1 until Sept. 30, 2016.

Washington state experienced a record-breaking drought in 2015 that wasn't evident in the springtime. Then, the rain stopped! When the 4th of July rolled around, it was too late for state government to act responsibly to protect public safety, despite all the pleas and petitions. We don't want to see that happen this year.

On the 4th of July, patriotism can be celebrated at all kinds of world-class, free professional shows throughout the state. Friends and neighbors can gather at parties to celebrate without the fireworks. Why would anyone want to risk allowing amateurs with fireworks to set off potentially catastrophic fires when even one preventable fire is one too many?

Who would support such legislation? Firefighters, emergency responders, veterans organizations, hospitals, animal shelters, those caring for the sick and elderly. As municipalities ban consumer fireworks, unincorporated areas share an increasingly unfair share of risks and costs, over-whelming their tax-limited resources as compared to cities.

For taxpayers and insurers, preventable fires are a wasteful use of resources. Taxpayers fund governments that pay for the additional resources required to fight residential and wildfires surrounding the 4th of July holiday.

Is a ban enforceable? Yes, because whatever fireworks are discharged will immediately be recognized by law enforcement as illegal, and most citizens will abide by the law. 

Will charities need to change their plans for fundraising? Yes, but isn't life and property more important than raising money, when there are all kinds of other alternatives to choose from? How many residents will be impacted by preventable fires this year versus the few who will benefit from profits from consumer sales of fireworks? The choice is ours to make by supporting HB 2310. 

Let's observe this 4th of July at professional shows, and leave pyrotechnics to the experts, especially during these times of weather extremes. Now is the time to act.