Plenty Of Fireworks-Related Fireworks
KSAL Staff - Thu 11:24 AM 07/05/2012
Most of the fires were grassfires, deputy collapses in heat, child hit in face by shell
Independence Day fireworks kept firefighters and law enforcement in Salina and Salina County very busy.
Salina Fire Marshal Roger Williams tells KSAL News that from June 27th, the day that fireworks went on sale, through midnight on July 5th, the fire department responded to 35 firework incidents. Over 20 of those incidents were on the 4th of July. Williams says that the bulk of the incidents were grass, brush, or tree fires. A couple of homes were also damaged, but Williams says there was not any major damage. He adds that there were also a couple of trash dumpster fires.
There was one fireworks-related injury. Williams says that on Saturday a child was hit in the face by an aerial firework. The child was transported to the hospital where he was treated and released.
A Saline County Sheriff Deputy was transported to the hospital on Wednesday after collapsing in the heat at the scene of a fire. Sheriff Glen Kochanowski says that Deputy Eric Appel was transported to the hospital where he was treated and released for possible heat exhaustion. Appel was at a fire scene Wednesday afternoon, and collapsed as he was changing a tire.
Rural firefighters also had a busy 4th of July, responding to over a dozen fires. The sheriff says that most of the fires were grassfires, but there were some that did cause damage.
Fireworks started a tree line on fire late Tuesday night. That fire damaged siding on a home on West Humbarger Road.
Fireworks started a fire on South Amos Road that ended up catching 50 large round bales on fire, which will continue to smolder for several days. A fireworks related fire also caught several hay bales on fire on North Halstead Road late Wednesday night.
There were also a couple of large field fires. One of the most significant was near the Bel Tree Farm in the 3200 block of West Crawford Street. That fire, which was started by a discarded cigarette, destroyed multiple trees, and was approaching structures, before it was brought under control.
Though there were a lot of fireworks calls, there were not a lot of citations issued. Between June 27th and midnight on July 5th Salina Police received 208 fireworks complaint calls. In 2011 police received 195 fireworks complaint calls. Officers issued 5 citations for illegal discharge. Saline County Sheriff Deputies issued about the same number of citations.
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BONEMAN
Thursday 5 July 2012 11:36 Report this comment
So the question is.. Who is going to be loosing there jobs? Someone has to held responsible for all the fire calls..
DrPepper
Thursday 5 July 2012 12:19 Report this comment
The ones that need to be held responsible are the idiots that started them.
KSSimNut
Thursday 5 July 2012 12:22 Report this comment
I agree with DrPepper unless you want to loose your job Boneman.
BONEMAN
Thursday 5 July 2012 12:32 Report this comment
I agree with Dr. Pepper the idiots that caused the lack of responsibility should held responsible along with the lawmakers who did not place a burn ban on saline county..
Salinamomma
Thursday 5 July 2012 12:32 Report this comment
sounds like we had more folks shooting off fireworks. 35 calls is high, but we are dependent on government to solve our problems. at least 35 idiots did not watch what went up come down. A simple bucket of water or hose at hand would have put them out. Te other calls I heard about was trash cans on fire. Hot coals in trash cans, Here's your sign.
BONEMAN
Thursday 5 July 2012 12:33 Report this comment
Kissmynut stop eating donuts at coral lees and get back to work..
bulldog400
Thursday 5 July 2012 13:06 Report this comment
TO THE KSAL STAFF-DO YOU ACTUALLY GO BACK AND PROOFREAD EVERYTHING THAT YOU PUT OUT? BECAUSE YOUR HEADING MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL!! IT SHOULD READ "FIREWORKS RELATED FIRES" NOT FIREWORKS RELATED FIREWORKS. PROOFREADING IT MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERNECE!!
Iamgonnagetu
Thursday 5 July 2012 13:12 Report this comment
To all you posters that still think fireworks are ok then you take it upon yourselves to find the violators. Alot of people have been affected and to that end there should be a complete ban on all fireworks in both city and county. The cost to fight these fires along with the damage they cost probably runs more than 100 k.
getumgranny
Thursday 5 July 2012 13:17 Report this comment
Without a doubt the people that caused all the problems starting the fires SHOULD be billed for the services of the Fire Dept!! Most of the calls were simply people being irresponsible, why should the city be forced to absorb the cost of plain stupidity. I can't imagine what it cost to send the Fire Dept out to all of these calls, it was I'm certain a large sum of money. A solution to this would be for the City to provide a designated area next year for the ones that want to shoot their fireworks. That way the problems are contained, and people can sleep without worrying about their property catching on fire.
WhoCares
Thursday 5 July 2012 14:03 Report this comment
We should send all the medicaid bills to you for services you get granny... we taxpayers are paying for your sorry ass.
tbone02b
Thursday 5 July 2012 14:19 Report this comment
At 10:10 last evening every fire district and the city FD were engaged in a hostile fire control. The severe drouth conditions warranted a ban. The Emergency Manager's decision should have been reviewed by county and city officials. Common sense sometimes must rule the day.
JustaDude
Thursday 5 July 2012 14:23 Report this comment
If you noticed some of those "incidents" had nothing to do with fireworks but rather cigarettes so I think if you want to get into the blame game we need to ban cigarette smoking all together. The fire dept is looking to lump non firework related incidents into the mix so that it looks like lifting the firework ban was a bad idea. I lived in Oregon for many years and there was no ban on fireworks, every year neighborhoods would block off their streets and have picnics together and set off fireworks. It was considered a great relationship builder for the community. I should have known that Kansan's would be opposed to it and especially Salinan's. When you consider the thousands and thousands of people in Salina/Saline county who set off fireworks this past week and then the millions of fireworks set off, 5 citations and 35 incidents (many not related to fireworks) seems pretty dang good.
Iamgonnagetu
Thursday 5 July 2012 14:58 Report this comment
Justadude I would like you to explain to me how is it determined that a cigarette started a fire? Its 11 pm darker than a well diggers butt and it takes minutes for firefighters to get there. Prior to the selling of fireworks how many fires did we have? First day of selling the calls started coming in. How can you support your comment?
Iamgonnagetu
Thursday 5 July 2012 15:02 Report this comment
Granny with all due respect your proposal will not work. Once purchased they can end up anywhere. The only answer is to ban them . We celebrate many holidays without fireworks and the 4th should be the same.
JustaDude
Thursday 5 July 2012 15:41 Report this comment
ummm, lamgonnagetu it was tricky but I read the article which, and i quote, stats "One of the most significant was near the Bel Tree Farm in the 3200 block of West Crawford Street. That fire, which was started by a discarded cigarette, destroyed multiple trees, and was approaching structures, before it was brought under control." I think that is called "support".
Iamgonnagetu
Thursday 5 July 2012 16:31 Report this comment
So justadude you didn't think to question what was printed but to use it on here as the Gospel truth? A cigarette starting a fire would be burned up in seconds so there would be no tell tale signs. Do you think maybe an amber from skyfire possibly could have blown over there by the wind? It is easy to covear up something by placing the blame somewhere else.
JustaDude
Thursday 5 July 2012 16:41 Report this comment
Iamgonnagetu I assume you aren't really as stupid as you are portraying yourself but just in case, your right, just because it is documented, (which the fire department could dispute) in this article doesn't mean it's true. So based on your logic (I use that term loosely)the whole article could be false,there actually might not have been any "incidents" that required the fire department to respond at all. It was probably all made up meaning fireworks were not a problem.
blitz121
Thursday 5 July 2012 17:35 Report this comment
Cigarettes can cause fires as well and have in the past, I do believe that if you are going to ban fireworks you should ban cigarettes as well. A lot of the damage due to fireworks was mainly trash bins and bushes. most things that common sense could have stopped. A lot of the calls could have been people trying to call off people shooting fireworks because it was getting late.
getumgranny
Thursday 5 July 2012 18:06 Report this comment
Iamgonnagetu: I know you are right about that, We could not control where the fireworks end up. Another idea, perhaps only allow the ground ones, NOTHING that would go up in the air. Some of the ones they were shooting around me were better than what skyfire was shooting!! I think the fireworks should be according to the weather conditions, this year was much too dry, hot etc... to have taken any chances. I too believe fireworks are not a necessity to celebrate the 4th. Heck, the Chinese are laughing all the way to the bank at Americans that spend so much money on fireworks. The Chinese make, sell and distribute the majority of them, read your labels!!
getumgranny
Thursday 5 July 2012 18:18 Report this comment
Whocares: You obviously know nothing about how Medicare works, allow me to educate you!! I pay for my medicare, my supplement insurance, my prescription plan and my medicines. All total, it costs me approx $500-600 monthly for my health care, that is as long as I don't hit the gap/donut on my prescriptions, then my medicines are full price until the new calender year begins or I have spent the amount to qualify for my prescription plan to pay 100%, which doesn't happen. When I go to a medical facility, I have ample coverage so the Doctors, hospitals etc... are not stuck with unpaid bills on me, like so many. So you see, you tax payers are not paying my medical costs. I'm not eligible to go to SRS for the "FREE" medicaid supplement and prescription plans. I do not get a Vision card for my groceries. I worked my whole life, paid taxes and saved money, budgeted etc... So you see, my "Sorry ass" is taking care of itself, unlike probably most of your family that receives all those government benefits!
DrPepper
Thursday 5 July 2012 19:29 Report this comment
The Bell tree farm fire started at about 12:30 or 1 oclock.It didnt start at a 11 pm.
DrPepper
Thursday 5 July 2012 19:30 Report this comment
Sorry Thats 12:30 or 1 pm
Iamgonnagetu
Thursday 5 July 2012 20:00 Report this comment
Dr10 2 4 if an ember floated over it could take a while to combust. Or some of the hot shots firing past midnite could have done it. Fireworks for sure.
Iamgonnagetu
Thursday 5 July 2012 20:03 Report this comment
Justadude you do not have enough education or common sense to call me stupid. Maybe change your name to justastupiddude.
smokeyvalley
Thursday 5 July 2012 21:07 Report this comment
Does anyone see a pattern going on here with some of the conspiracy theorists? Lets see...since law enforcement spends so much time and effort into enforcing DUI and Seat Belt laws...they are wasting our tax money and violating some type of Constitutional rights. Bad Five-O. On the other hand, since they think the fireworks should have been banned this year, law enforcement didn't do enough to make it happen.
smokeyvalley
Thursday 5 July 2012 21:09 Report this comment
...THEN they say 'The law should have been out there', taking our freedoms away. I would challenge anybody to prove more funds were spent, per minute, on the fireworks calls plus the damage they caused, then to compare them to what DUI accidents / accidents without seat belts cause. Period.
Iamgonnagetu
Thursday 5 July 2012 23:19 Report this comment
Smokeyvalley once again you get on here and twist everything around. Where you been hiding? You must have been afraid the folks on here would burn you out with their fireworks. Well you made your twisted comments now go back to your out house weirdo.
BONEMAN
Friday 6 July 2012 00:51 Report this comment
Hey Troy, Wheres my beer?? You made all these predictions about fireworks and you were so sure the officals would call them off on Tuesday July 3rd at 3 or 4pm.. Got anymore predictions?? Is 2012 really the end of the world??
smokeyvalley
Friday 6 July 2012 06:05 Report this comment
Iamgonnagetu...I have been working. Please enlighten the rest of the crowd as to your agenda and the reason for it. I am sure if all here knew the truth they would be entertained. Tell us why. If one issues is enforced, you complain. If another is not, you complain. Who you supporting? Watch his TV interview yet? Wow!
Iamgonnagetu
Friday 6 July 2012 07:21 Report this comment
Smokeyvalley I forgot you clean portable toilets for a living. Evidently the odors get you high that is why your comments make no sense. May I suggest you refrain from commenting until your head clears from the fumes.
WhoCares
Friday 6 July 2012 08:22 Report this comment
iamgonnagetu...thank you for proving your valid point on your stupidity. Smokey just set you up, and you walked right into a trap. You can't enlighten us to any of your "reasonable agendas". You have no proof of anything coming out of your mouth. So maybe you should go back to cleaning outhouses, and sniffing more of that cleaning stuff used. No doubt your mommy got you hooked on bath salts.
ROCKER
Friday 6 July 2012 09:33 Report this comment
THANK YOU CITY COMMISSIONERS for passing ,the firing of fireworks for salina ,when it got dark you could see and here the complete chaos ,,and direguard for safety ,, hope we can do it again next year ..... who wants to see skyfire whens its gonna be going off all around me ...
Iamgonnagetu
Friday 6 July 2012 13:51 Report this comment
Whocares think of me everytime before you start your car scumbag.
Iamgonnagetu
Friday 6 July 2012 13:57 Report this comment
Funny how both city and county commissioners have ignored all of this. Another funny thing is emergency manager Joe Koch was in charge of banning fireworks and open burning and choose to ignore dry conditions. This is the same Joe Koch who about burned his house down south of salina some months back.