PORT ANGELES — Children in Clallam County will be able to have their sparklers this Fourth of July.
The Clallam County Fire Chiefs Association has decided there will be no additional restrictions on fireworks in the county on Independence Day.
Association members had considered requesting a voluntary ban on fireworks, but decided against it after reviewing reports that the area has received enough rainfall to reduce the risk of fire, Port Angeles Fire Chief Dan McKeen said.
“We still have concerns about the rest of the summer,” McKeen said, noting that the snowpack in the Olympic Mountains is below normal.
“We consult objective, scientific data rather than looking out the window,” McKeen said.
“In the past we’ve looked at recent rains.
“But if we have a long dry spell then have two days of rain, it’s not going to bring the moisture level up.”
The decision not to request a ban, either voluntary or mandatory, is based on what scientists call the “moisture content” of vegetation, or anything that might provide fuel for a fire.
Currently, the moisture content in Clallam County is average or above average, said Larry Nickey, fire and aviation search and rescue coordinator for Olympic National Park.
Remote weather monitoring stations placed around the Peninsula feed climate data to satellites, which is then downloaded by analysts, Nickey said.
