Holiday aglow

Fourth was last before fireworks ban

MOSES LAKE — While the waters of the adjacent lake are packed with boaters and jet skiers escaping the heat, the halls of the Moses Lake Fire Department steadily fill up with firefighters Tuesday afternoon.

It's a holiday for most of the country, but one of the busiest days of the year for firefighters throughout the nation.

Everyone in Moses Lake assembles at about 4 p.m. for their assignments. Aside from safety and fire concerns, Assistant Chief Corbin Moberg reminds each of the firefighters to stay hydrated on the day ahead. Each rig has been equipped with a stash of water and Gatorade if that thirst needs to be quenched.

More than 20 Moses Lake firefighters are stationed in different quadrants throughout the city, anticipating fireworks dangers later in the evening. The department has already spread a foam, a soap-like material which helps prevent a blaze, in front of a nursing home and near the city of Moses Lake launch site in the Montlake area as a precaution.

It's interesting to see the honks and waves. On the busiest of holidays for the department, passers by are happily greeting the men on their way to barbecues and concerts. The team sets up command in a vacant lot on the corner of Hill Avenue and Division Street, with Engine No. 1 and Brush No. 14 to be the first response for this quadrant of Moses Lake.

Stored within the two rigs is approximately 1,750 gallons of water, which the firefighters could get rid of in a matter of minutes if they had to. They will go to a hydrant if they need to, but Capt. Bob Scott said the crew wants to stay as mobile as they possibly can.

This is Scott's last Fourth with the fire department. After 17 years with MLFD, he will be retiring next year. Working alongside him in Engine No. 1 is volunteer Andrew Deering, who will join the paid staff of the department later this month. Joining the truck later in the afternoon is firefighter/paramedic Chris Rieman.

This is the last day residents can light off fireworks in the city limits. A ban enacted by the city council will prohibit fireworks beginning next June. The city had previously limited the devices solely to July 4. Scott believes the department will see a drop in Independence Day fire calls in the city once the ban is enacted next year.

"Without a doubt they will," he says. "How much, I don't know."

And with their last day to light up upon them, it's easy to tell from the spot atop the hill that residents are taking full advantage. Bright booms, whistles and bangs emanate from every direction. The shows begin early but decimate for a time when the city's fireworks begin to illuminate the sky. They later continue their own shows after the city's is complete.

But the firefighters admit it's not the number of people lighting off the fireworks, but rather the weather conditions which dictate the number of fires they will have on this Independence Day.

"To this point, Mother Nature has dictated what our call volume will be," Scott says.

While the sun still burns down from their post, Scott remarks that the conditions have made for a "pretty extreme" Fourth of July. The wet spring which has led to prolific weed growth, combined with low humidity and 100 degree temperatures, has left firefighters wondering what's in store for them this summer.

The men's first fire of the night is at 8:50 p.m., on the corner of Larch and Kiefer streets. It is suspected to have been lit by fireworks, and ends up burning about one-quarter acre behind Samaritan hospital before being doused by the crew.

Shortly after filling up with water at a nearby hydrant and returning to their command post, the crew receives their next call at about 9:30 p.m. Fireworks have reportedly started a fire on Division Street, but that blaze is put out before firefighters arrive on scene.

"It's about par with other Fourths that we've had. I anticipated we'd have more with the weather conditions," Scott says. Tuesday's weather has been hot, but he says the mild wind has been their saving grace.

A half dozen other fires are called in within the Moses Lake city limits, but Grant County Fire District No. 5 crews, who respond outside the city, receive the brunt of scanner calls.

By the time crowds disperse from watching the city show, a time firefighters says is usually reserved for the lighting of personal fireworks, it begins to rain. Weather stations had predicted a 30 percent chance of showers but those showers arrive late in the day, lightening and all. The rain puts a damper on personal shows, and after a couple medical calls, Engine No. 1 pulls into the station about midnight.

Fire Chief Tom Taylor reports Wednesday about 10 grass fires in the city over the holiday. The department had anticipated more with the heated weather conditions, and Taylor thinks the people of Moses Lake must have played a factor.

"It must have been people were being a little safer this year," he says.