UPDATE: North Ogden bans fireworks due to drought; Ogden to consider similar move
City officials in North Ogden voted on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, to ban fireworks in the city through Dec. 1, 2021, due to the drought and dry conditions. In this file photo from July 13, 2014, crowds gather to enjoy the 36th annual Lindquist Family Symphony Pops and Fireworks show at Weber State University in Ogden.
NORTH OGDEN — North Ogden residents won’t be able to shoot off aerials or light other fireworks this Fourth of July.
The same may go for Ogden and Washington Terrace residents.
The North Ogden City Council has voted to ban firing of fireworks until Dec. 1 in light of the ongoing drought, meaning fireworks won’t be allowed to mark Pioneer Day either. The professional fireworks show planned for July 3 as part of North Ogden’s Cherry Days festivities will not be impacted and will go on as scheduled.
“My reason is the drought, the extreme conditions we’re under,” said City Councilperson Phil Swanson, who put the idea of prohibiting fireworks on the table at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The Ogden and Washington Terrace city councils will consider similar measures banning fireworks in those locales, also due to the dry conditions, at special meetings on Thursday, officials say.
North Ogden’s existing city ordinances already would’ve prohibited fireworks use north of 3300 North and east of Mountain Road on North Ogden’s northern and eastern peripheries, the wildland-urban interface. But with the reduced lawn watering brought on by the drought, Swanson fears the rest of the city is also more susceptible to a blaze in the event a firework goes awry, leading to Tuesday’s action. There had already been “internal discussions” on the possibility of such a move, he said.
The measure passed 3-1, with support from Swanson and council members Blake Cevering and Cheryl Stoker. Ryan Barker voted against it.
Though North Ogden City Attorney Jon Call had said the city had leeway to implement a ban, Barker maintains that state law doesn’t give municipalities that sort of wiggle room, which led to his no vote. Per state law, the city can identify hazard areas and prohibit fireworks in those specific areas, Barker said, “but it does not allow an all-out ban.”
North Ogden joins Salt Lake City in banning fireworks, per an order of that city’s fire marshal issued Tuesday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Meantime, the voices have been growing in Ogden for similar action.
Fireworks are banned in Ogden east of Harrison Boulevard, where the city starts to edge up the mountain and the wildland-urban interface area begins. They also can’t be used in other wooded areas, like the banks of the Ogden and Weber rivers. The prohibition stays in effect through Sept. 20 and stems from the dry conditions. Ogden City Councilperson Angela Choberka, though, thinks more needs to be done.
“I would like to see these restrictions go further. We need more pressure on the administration to do so!” she said in a Facebook post Wednesday morning. “The risk to our community is too great for fires, and due to the drought conditions, we do not have the water to use to put out the usual fires that result, much less something larger.”
Taylor Knuth, who’s active in civic matters in Ogden, posted a message on Facebook voicing similar concerns, urging the public to call Mayor Mike Caldwell and City Council members on the matter. “All it takes is one accident to change the face of Mount Ogden or the Ogden Canyon forever,” he said.
By Wednesday afternoon, Choberka said a proposal to ban fireworks across Ogden had emerged and would be considered by the Ogden City Council at a special meeting on Thursday. Likewise, Washington Terrace officials announced the City Council there would also hold a special meeting on Thursday to consider a citywide fireworks ban.
“Our intent is to protect life and property, in that order,” said Washington Terrace City Manager Tom Hanson. The proposed ban is coming to council members as a recommendation from Clay Peterson, the Washington Terrace fire chief/fire marshal.
Ogden city officials have previously said a blanket ban of fireworks would have to come from the state government. However, North Ogden legal officials maintain that cities do have authority in extreme circumstances to enact “one-off,” temporary measures, said Swanson, the North Ogden City Council member.
North Ogden’s ban lasts through Dec. 1, and by New Year’s Eve “it’ll be light them up and have a good time,” Swanson said. Based on social media posts he’s seen, though a few people are upset over the fireworks ban, “the vast majority are supportive.”
North View Fire District and North Ogden authorities will be in charge of enforcing the ban in North Ogden, according to Barker. Though he voted against the measure, Barker, the North View Fire District fire marshal, said he’ll enforce it.
This story has been updated with the latest fireworks developments in Ogden and Washington Terrace.
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