By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Fire concerns, animal concerns, and questions about using fireworks during an Easter event. Those sentiments were expressed by the Great Bend public prior to Wednesday's special city council meeting. For the past three years, the Great Bend Recreation Commission has included a brief fireworks show with its Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt at the Great Bend Sports Complex. The event is scheduled for this Saturday, March 28 at 9 p.m. But first, the Great Bend City Council had to approve the use of fireworks within city limits. The council voted 3-2 against approving the fireworks.
“This is fourth year we’ve done this,” said Rec Director Chris Umphres. “We get about 400 kids there, then parents come on top of that. We break it up, use the whole complex, then we’ve added the fireworks the last three years. The three years we’ve done it we’ve had very good results every time they’re there. Just so guys you know, I’ve read some of the comments, it has nothing to do with Easter. It’s just an event we put on.”
Councilmember Davis Jimenez asked Rec staff why the issue was coming before the council just days before the event. The issue was discussed in an email after the last council meeting help, but the March 16 meeting was cancelled due to a lack of quorum.
Great Bend Fire Chief Brent Smith said winds of 15 miles per hour are expected for Saturday, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour. Given the height of the fireworks – approximately 300 feet – there will be some fire.
“The grass has caught on fire every year,” Smith said. “It will catch on fire this year. There’s no doubt in my mind. The fireworks don’t go up high enough, it’s more of a ground display, so there will be sparks on the ground and there’s no doubt we will catch the grass on fire. If you guys approve it, I’ll just make sure I have enough people there to hopefully handle the situation.”
Smith also said surrounding property would likely not be impacted by a contained fire spread, and that he was comfortable his department could handle the situation as long as call volumes around the rest of the city were manageable.
Smith also reported a good relationship with Victory, the company handling the fireworks. In the event fire staff was called away, he could place a call and get the fireworks stopped immediately.
Shelly Peacock and Kevyn Soupiset voted to approve the fireworks. Davis Jimenez, Jay Luerman, and Shelly Arnberger voted against. Umphres said before the vote that the fireworks could be used at a later time if not approved for Saturday's event.
The Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt, for ages 3-12, will still go on Saturday at 9 p.m. The hunt will be divided by age brackets. The gate opens at 8:30 p.m., and there is a $5 fee per child.