By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Piedmont residents have asked to make the use of fireworks legal inside city limits, but that request was nixed Monday night.
Vice-Mayor Bobby Williamson said during the special Monday meeting that residents don’t want to travel to other places to shoot fireworks.
“My thought is to make this legal,” Williamson said. “Not to make money or sell fireworks, but to let residents of Piedmont celebrate the Fourth by shooting fireworks legally.”
Former Mayor John Bickerstaff reminded the council of a previous incident.
“I’m here to let you know the reason for the ordinance because in times past fireworks spooked livestock. In one instance, a horse got tied up in some barbed wire and the city paid a hefty vet bill through a lawsuit because of that. Also, during that same year there was a tremendous grass fire. Luckily no one was hurt or dwellings expect out buildings, but that also led to developing this fire ordinance,” Bickerstaff said.
George Fina, who spent 24 years in the Oklahoma City Fire Department, also spoke against the proposal.
“The worst day of any firefighter is the Fourth of July,” he said. “We’ve got so much farmland…if Piedmont allows fireworks you’re going to get people coming around from all over the place to shoot fireworks. They already do it now, they get on these side roads and pop them off. It is not fair to the man next door, to the citizens to allow it.”
Williamson asked City Attorney Mike Segler if the city would be liable if damages occurred after fireworks were legalized.
“No,” Segler said. “If they’re negligent, we’re not (liable).”
“So, amending this ordinance does not increase the liability,” Williamson asked.
“It might increase the injury,” Segler answered, but not the liability.
Councilman Al Gleichmann said he has a 50 acre field nearby.
“The fire risk, that’s all I can think of,” he said.
Councilman John Brown’s concerns pointed to the problem of attracting masses of people to the town without the supports necessary to handle them.
“It’s a mad house,” Brown said of Mustang where fireworks are legal. “Thousands of people are popping fireworks. A lot people would come to town to shoot fireworks and we’d have a major problem controlling the crowds that would come in.”
Brown made a motion to deny the proposal allowing fireworks which was defeated 3-2. After the meeting Fire Chief Andy Logan said he supported the council’s decision to uphold the existing ordinance.
“It has worked previously and we hope it continues,” Logan said.
