The residents in and around Barrhead may be required to take a few extra steps if they are looking to celebrate any event with fireworks.
The province of Alberta has presented a by-law for all counties that must be in place in order to discharge or even sell low hazard fireworks.
By-Law no. 7-2014 states that anyone looking to purchase or sell fireworks in or around the County of Barrhead, must first fill out the paperwork.
The by-law describes fireworks as “explosive devices which are classified as Dangerous Goods under the Alberta Fire Code and which, when not managed, handled and used properly, can cause injury, damage, fire and death.”
In order to remain in control over the dangers of fireworks, the province of Alberta has placed this by-law before counties across the province.
The prohibitions of this by-law include; no person shall wholesale, display for sale, offer for sale, sell, possess or store any fireworks within the county without the written permission of the fire chief; no person, may obtain, purchase, set off, discharge, or otherwise handle fireworks, without the written permission of the fire chief; and no person shall sell fireworks to any person without first seeing that person’s driver’s license or other photo identification.
A fire chief is described in the by-law as someone being “the person appointed as head of the County’s Fire Services or a person designated to act on his behalf.”
Councillor Bill Lane explained the complications of having to come and see the fire chief in order to get permission.
“I’ll tell you it’s not going to work,” he said, after explaining that if someone cannot get a hold of the fire chief they still have to go to extra measures in order to contact the proper individual.
The list of prohibitions continues and says that fireworks shall not be purchased, or sold to any person under the age of 18.
This includes the purchase of fireworks outside of Barrhead County. The by-law explains that fireworks being brought into the area must first have written permission from the fire chief.
The written letter of permission for any of the above must include the date, time, and location of the proposed event, names, addresses and certification numbers of all display supervisors or pyro-technicians, the name of the sponsor or purchaser of the event, a full description of the planned event, the emergency plan, verification of liability insurance, payment of the designated application fee as approved by Council, and any other information deemed necessary by the County of Barrhead fire chief.
The fire chief may deny any person written permission if, in their opinion, such a display may create a risk to life, safety, or property.
Those who sell fireworks will only be allowed to do so from the hours of 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Mountain Time, and must retain information from any purchaser for at least two years. This information includes a name, the date of the sale, address, phone number, description of the product sold, the date of the event, the location of the event, a copy of the written permission from the fire chief, and a copy of written permission to discharge.
The application is several pages long and includes check lists with items listed including whether the surrounding area of the discharge has been cleared of any debris, and wetted down, whether the applicant is 18 years of age or older, whether the seller has provided the applicant with manufacturer’s instructions on the safe use of fireworks, whether written permission has been obtained, and if a fire extinguisher, no less than 2A, will be nearby in case of a fire.
“I can understand the age,” Reeve Bill Lee said, adding that he agreed with nearly all of the terms on the application, with the exception of the area being wetted down.
Lee said that if no combustible materials are present and all debris and dry grass is removed from the area, the need for it to be wetted down did not seem necessary.
County Manager Mark Oberg suggested adding on to the sentence, so if the grass around the discharge area is dry, the person must still wet the area.
After reading the limitations, council members were unsure of how they felt about the requirements overall.
“I think there should be something but I think there is too many restrictions,” Lane said.
“May I remind council that the absence of this by-law means there is no discharge of fireworks of any sort at all, and that these restrictions, even though you guys see them as limitations, without this by-law in place there is nothing,” Councillor Doug Drozd said. “Don’t forget that guys.”
“Without this by-law in place, as of today, you are not allowed to buy or discharge fireworks in the county of Barrhead,” Drozd said.
Linda West, Administrative Assistant for the County, said that this by-law has been studied thoroughly, and that there is either prohibition or permission.
“If you don’t have a by-law in place allowing this to be done in a certain manner… nobody can set off fireworks,” she said.
Councillor Darrell Troock, who also sits on the Fire Department Board, said that he could see it from both sides.
“I am fighting it on both ends,” he said. “I don’t know what to do with it anymore…. To me this should not be any easy thing. Getting fireworks should not just being going down, throwing the guy 20 bucks and taking a box of fire hazards away and blow them off in dry grass… This has got to be restricted to the point where if you want fireworks you have got to do your work.”
A breach of this bylaw is “an offence and upon conviction shall be subject to a penalty and fine of not less than $100 and not more than $5,000” the by-law states. A By-Law Enforcement Officer, A Community Peace Officer, or a Police Officer are permitted to fine any individual who is in breach of the by-law.
Lee said that now that the by-law is public knowledge it may help the council come to a decision.
The county has tabled the matter for the time being, in order to read the document more thoroughly, and see how the public feels about enforcing the by-law.
