Klickitat Co. Commissioners talk fireworks, burn bans

Commissioners also discussed fireworks. One of the unique aspects of Washington State fireworks laws is that local governments, if adding restrictions on use of fireworks, must delay implementation for a year. Any ban passed now wouldn’t take effect until May 2026.

The rationale is that nonprofit groups use fireworks sales as a fundraiser; if there is a last-minute ban, those groups would be stuck with fireworks they have paid for but wouldn’t be able to sell. 

Emergency Management Director Jeff King told commissioners that local fire chiefs were opposed to any complete ban.

“It pushes those people that are going to do it anyway out into the [more remote] areas,” he said, “where they’re going to have a higher risk of starting a wildfire with the use of fireworks, even legal fireworks.”

There was some discussion about establishing a body that could make emergency declarations in the event of high fire danger.

And who’s playing DJ in the back country? King said that their Kaiser radio site, located 15-20 miles northwest of Goldendale, has had some problems.

“We have identified that it is interference that’s causing that, but we haven’t identified where it’s coming from or who the offender is yet,” he told commissioners. “One of the hardest things to try and troubleshoot is that it’s intermittent. It was actually keying up our system and everybody using it, so we had to turn that channel off at that one site to get this resolved.”

He said that if they don’t solve it soon, they might have to call in the Federal Communications Commission, which has special detection equipment to track down violators and pirate stations.

Under the consent agenda, items approved included:

• Meadow Outdoor advertising agreement with Klickitat County Public Health.

• Fire District 5 and 9 Radio System Use and 9-1-1/Dispatch Services agreements

• A consultant agreement with Epic Land Solutions, Inc. for on-call real estate services.

• Supplemental agreement No. 5 with Sargent Engineers, Inc. for on-call structural engineering services.

• Supplemental Agreement No. 6 with GN Northern, Inc. for on-call geotechnical engineering services.

• United Healthcare interim provider agreement with Behavioral Health.

• Molina Healthcare Provider services agreement with Behavioral Health.

• A public meeting at 2:30 p.m. on May 20 (after press deadline) on approval of an operations permit for Under Canvas.