By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Last year, the Great Bend area received rainfall the day before the 4th of July. That brought a smile to Great Bend Fire Chief Brent Smith’s face, knowing moisture would help reduce grass fires during the fireworks-filled holiday.
This year’s forecast does not look as favorable for rain prior to the holiday, so Smith and the rest of the first responders remind citizens to use caution on where they are discharging their fireworks.
"If there is tall grass around, try to stay away from it," said Smith. "Keep an eye on the wind and where you're shooting. Everybody likes to shoot them in the street because it's away from their house, but that can hinder us from getting there. There's a double-edged sword to everything. You want them in the street because it's all concrete but you want them out of the street so we can get through if we need to."
The call volume was down last year, but the previous year the Great Bend Fire & EMS responded to more than 60 calls on the holiday. From fires to injuries, Smith said there are children and adults that need to pay heed of safety advice.
"You have people that are missing parts of fingers or serious burns because of fireworks," said Smith. "Be mindful of that. They can cause serious injuries. Injuries to eyes and burn injuries alone are very painful. Be careful...that's what we stress."
Anyone interested in a block party to shoot fireworks needs to fill out a permit at City Hall and only use city-issued barricades. The legal discharge of fireworks in Great Bend is from 10 a.m. to midnight on July 4th only.