HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-18-23 Public Comment - P. Olliff - Proposed Fireworks Ban in City of BozemanFrom:Peggy Olliff
To:Agenda
Subject:Proposed Fireworks Ban in City of Bozeman
Date:Tuesday, April 18, 2023 10:48:10 AM
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Dear City Commission,
We strongly support the proposed ban on fireworks within the city
limits.
Fire safety is our primary concern. Neighbors routinely set off
fireworks in their driveway, fireworks that are well beyond the height
limit currently allowed. Every year I have to go up on the roof the
next day to retrieve the firework carcasses. Three years ago
fireworks burned a hole in our trampoline (live and learn; we remove
the trampoline bed from the frame around June 15 each year to
avoid similar issues). In our increasingly dry environment, it is only a
matter of time before fireworks burn someone's house down, burn
one of the many remaining fields we have in Bozeman, or worse.
Dog suffering is another problem. Our 13-year-old Belgian Tervuren
died last winter; she was terrified of fireworks. We tried everything--
different drugs to ease her suffering; a thunder blanket; blasting the
sound on the TV; even doggy ear protectors. Nothing worked. We
finally started to skip town during the week around July 4, camping
in Hyalite, driving down to Yellowstone, even just driving around
every evening until midnight to avoid the worst of the blasting. We
have a 2-year-old malamute now and he has similar issues. We will
skip town this year and camp in Hyalite to ease his discomfort.
Finally, the lack of enforcement of current firework rules emboldens
people and makes the situation worse. Fireworks are routinely
blasted for 10 days or more around the 4th and the type of fireworks
used, especially the 'canons,' far exceed what is allowed by city
code.
Thank you for considering the fireworks ban in the city limits. We
fully support such a ban. Bozeman has simply grown too big to allow
unregulated fireworks in town.
Tom and Peggy Olliff
4857 Victory Street
Bozeman