Rock Rapids, Iowa — A fireworks safety proposal by the town’s fire chief — presented at the Rock Rapids City Council meeting on Monday night — failed to light.
Rock Rapids City Council Member Ed Reck, who’s also the town’s fire chief has been concerned about fireworks — especially those that fly into the air. Mayor Jason Chase says Reck is the chairman of Rock Rapids’ Public Safety Committee, but since a consensus could not be reached in that committee about what to do about fireworks, the issue was placed on the agenda for the full council meeting, which was scheduled for Monday evening.
On Monday morning, Reck posted an invitation on Facebook, inviting people concerned about fireworks to attend the meeting to voice their concerns. Reck’s post stated,
“I would like to have a city ordinance that would make it illegal to shoot any fireworks that fly in the city limits. We had complaints last year of aerial fireworks being shot that end up landing on other people’s property and roofs. This is a very dangerous situation! Like many things adults are privileged to do, there have to be some restrictions to protect others and their property. Once you light fireworks that are made to shoot onward and upwards you have no control over this EXPLOSIVE device.”
Mayor Chase tells us what happened at the meeting.
Chase says there is a provision in the law that fireworks may not be set off in a reckless manner, but he says that’s hard to enforce.
For the fireworks ordinance in Rock Rapids and several other northwest Iowa communities, click here.
