The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners voted Monday to ban the small hot air balloons known as “sky lanterns” and clarify the process for enacting a total ban on fireworks when dry conditions create a fire danger.
The vote, cast on a cold and wet first day of winter, was unanimous.
The measure immediately enacts a ban on sky lanterns, which are defined in the ordinance as small hot air balloons with an opening at the bottom under which fire is suspended, allowing the balloon to rise.
It also makes it unlawful to sell, transfer, discharge, ignite or explode any fireworks aside from paper caps that contain no more than “25 hundredths grain” of explosive material during very dry conditions, according to the ordinance. When such dry conditions prevail would be decided by the fire marshall.
As a result, the two Port Hadlock fireworks stands operated by the Chimacum School District as a July 4 fundraising tool will close if extremely dry conditions coincide with the holiday.
“This will happen a year from now. This July 4 is not affected,” County Administrator Philip Morley said.
The sky lantern ban will go into in effect immediately.
The second part of the resolution, which enables the commissioners to institute an immediate and comprehensive ban on all fireworks during extremely dry conditions, will not take effect until the beginning of 2017.
Some of the sky lanterns have some degree of control while others are generally set loose by the operator with no control as to where it goes or lands.
This, according to supporters of the measure, creates a fire hazard.