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Fire districts keep eye on fireworks stands Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Deputy Fire Marshal Don Hickman of Fire District 3 talks with youth pastor Jason Peter about regulations at the Central Point First Assembly of God fireworks stand in Central Point. Hickman and fire officials from other Rogue Valley agencies will visit every stand, tent, booth or grocery store display this week to educate vendors and enforce the rules. By JILL BRISKEY Kids and adults who push the envelope when it comes to setting off fireworks aren't the only people fire departments worry about over the July Fourth holiday. Officials also are concerned that the dozens of fireworks vendors in the Rogue Valley aren't following the rules. "It's a question of safety," said Deputy Fire Marshal Don Hickman of Fire District 3, which covers a large area including Central Point, White City and Gold Hill. Hickman and fire officials from other Rogue Valley agencies will visit every stand, tent, booth or grocery store display to both educate vendors and enforce the rules this week. That includes everything from making sure customers are at least 16 as required by Oregon law to determining that vendors are selling only legal fireworks. Hickman inspected 16 stands in Fire District 3's jurisdiction this week. Each one passed, with a few requiring minor changes. "We're doing this from a negotiation standpoint. If something's wrong, most people can fix it right then and there. "We don't want to catch people doing wrong," Hickman added. "We work with them to comply." Most often, it's a simple matter of moving signs to the correct location or moving the generators that power booth lights so they're a proper distance from the booth, Medford Fire Battalion Chief Dan Petersen said. "Everybody's been pretty compliant," Petersen said. "We haven't had any real problems." During each visit, inspectors look to see if vendors are selling illegal fireworks, items which explode, fly or jump more than 12 inches vertically or travel more than six feet horizontally. They also quiz clerks to make sure they know Oregon requires buyers to be at least 16 years old, with a few exceptions. State law also requires at least one person over the age of 18 to be at the stand at all times when it is open. Booth operators must have an approved fire extinguisher on hand and post no-smoking signs. Tents must be constructed of flame-retardant material, and vehicles must park 20 feet away from the stands. Inspectors have the authority to shut the business down, but Hickman and Petersen said that never happens. "Most people want to compromise. They know there's a very short window (to sell fireworks)," Hickman said. "That's lost revenue." John Peter, a youth pastor from Central Point First Assembly of God, admitted he was worried about the upcoming inspection of the church's booth in the parking lot of Albertson's. When Hickman pulled up in his Fire District 3 vehicle, Peter - a first-time vendor - almost panicked. "I said, 'He's here, he's here, here we go,' " Peter recalled. "But then he got out of the car, all smiles, and I was like whew, it's going to be OK." "He just came running up. He had this fear in his eyes," Hickman said, laughing. Peter and the teens working the booth to raise funding for church functions were asked to move a sign. That was about it, he added. "That was really it," Peter said. "Now I feel like I can rest." On a return visit, Hickman and Peter were able to joke about the fear factor. "It's good to turn these into win-win situations," Hickman said. "It's all in the attitude and the approach." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.