SUNDRE — Shy of receiving an exemption from the municipality, residents are prohibited from setting off fireworks within the town’s boundaries.
“I know people do set them off in town from time to time. We have had people caught doing it” without the municipality approving an exemption, said Kevin Heerema, community peace officer. “It is prohibited."
Extremely dry conditions that have been ushered in by recent heatwaves and made worse by an absence of substantial precipitation, prompted provincial officials to issue late in July a fire restriction in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area while Mountain View County announced a partial ban on Wednesday, Aug. 4.
Despite the potential for a fast-spreading blaze, there were several instances of fireworks being set off during the Heritage Day long weekend.
“I listened to ’em from my house the other night, there was lots of fireworks going off,” Ross Clews, the Sundre Fire Department’s chief, said Aug. 3 during a phone interview.
Discharged safely with the proper precautions in place, Clews said fireworks are legal to manufacture and market and for people to use.
“But you got to use some common sense too when you’re lighting them off, making sure you don’t light up the countryside and ruin your property or other people’s properties,” he said.
“Make sure you have safety watches, make sure you have equipment available to put out any small fires before they become a problem where you’d have to call us — be prepared."
Although launching fireworks within town boundaries is not permitted, the highly combustible devices can be set off in the county.
“You need a permit for them from Mountain View County,” he said, adding such requests are typically approved provided there are no fire bans in place.
Within town, exceptions the municipality has approved include but are not necessarily limited to annual events like Canada Day as well as the Sundre Pro Rodeo, said Heerema.
Earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic, the municipality received — and subsequently approved — a request from a property owner who sought an exemption to set off fireworks at a reasonable time under agreed upon safety considerations, the peace officer said.
“It was on private property. It just happened to be large enough that they could safely set off the fireworks,” which were smaller varieties that are readily available in stores, he said.
The peace officer understands people’s enthusiasm when it comes to discharging the colourful pyrotechnic displays.
“They’re definitely fun. I’ve been with the folks that have set them off, I’ve set them of myself — obviously not in town,” he said.
But he echoed the fire chief’s words of caution.
“You got to be careful about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it,” he said.
Among the precautions anyone who plans to set off fireworks should have in place, he explained, are having plenty of water readily available nearby and to discharge the fireworks from a sandy or otherwise non-combustible surface.
“Sand is really quite recommended,” he said. “A lot of fireworks got to be set up sort of stuck into something, and what we’ll suggest is like a five-gallon pail of sand.”
Another issue with setting off fireworks in town, aside from the potential risk of inadvertently starting a wildfire during an ongoing dry spell, is not only noise but also the much closer proximity to other people’s properties including homes and vehicles, he said.
“You could face a fine, you could get a warning, and of course if it leads to a fire, they could be on the hook for those costs,” he said when asked about the ramifications of infractions.
The municipality’s Bylaw No. 763 — also known as the bylaw outlining rules for “Carrying, Discharge and use of Firearms and Weapons” — defines fireworks, among other devices like firecrackers as well as bows and anything that can launch a projectile of any sort in a manner dangerous to the public peace, as a “weapon.”
“Unless otherwise lawfully authorized, no person shall discharge any weapon or anything capable of launching a projectile that may inflict injury or result in death and specifically includes the discharge of any fireworks or firecrackers.”
Under the bylaw’s section outlining penalties, anyone found in violation deemed guilty of an offence becomes liable to a fine not exceeding $2,500 exclusive of costs, or in the case of non-payment of fine and costs imposed, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 30 days unless the fine and costs are paid sooner.
