Salt Lake Valley Fire Chiefs call on Utahns to skip personal fireworks

Salt Lake City, Utah — Friday fire chiefs from throughout the Salt Lake Valley came together urging residents to skip the use of personal fireworks during Utah’s historic drought.

According to officials, with the Fourth of July holiday coming up, they are worried wayward fireworks could ignite extremely dry grass and shrubs and spark a dangerous wildfire.

Fire departments are also concerned about being overwhelmed with calls during the holiday, taking them away from vital calls that need an emergency response.

“With the extreme drought conditions we are experiencing, we have real concerns that our fire personnel will be inundated with fireworks-related incidences. Even in areas where fireworks are allowed, there are extreme risks of fires,” said Chief Terry Addison, Chair of the Salt Lake Valley Fire Alliance. “Emergency situations created by the use of personal fireworks are avoidable if residents choose to celebrate the holidays in other ways. The Salt Valley Chiefs have joined together to ask citizens to skip personal fireworks this year and allow local fire departments to focus on other emergency situations.”