Fairhope, Alabama
fairhopetimes@att.net
FIREMEN CONCERNED
Fairhope volunteer fireman -- and city mechanic -- Eddie Hall told the city council recently about problems with equipment they use to shoot off fireworks on New Years Eve, Fourth of July and sporting events.
Hall said the electrical "board" they use to ignite the rockets has been malfunctioning since at least 2010 -- causing them to have to be ignited manually with a torch or flare.
"Chief Ellis liked to lost his right hand trying to light off some (manually) ... with a flare ... that the board wouldn't light off ... . 4th of July ... we had to light 300 of them off ... New Year's ... a hundred ... ."
Hall said the current board can be fixed; but said the department's fireworks committee is recommending upgrading now to a better board with higher capacity instead.
He said the "outdated" board could be upgraded as well -- but for about $10K a new programmable board could be bought that would last much longer and allow for bigger shows in the future. (Currently about 1,400 rounds are shot on July 4th; the upgrade would allow 2,000.)
"Its a safety problem ... a bad safety problem ... ."
Hall said his own son was nearly injured setting one off this past Fourth of July as was fireman Jimmy Cluster's son and others.
Hall: "I don't want my son to die ... . Fairhope is known for several things ... sunsets ... flowers ... Arts and Crafts ... and the fireworks show ... there have been a couple of people hurt on this thing ... this board needs to be replaced."
He said there are still 6 rounds that failed to fire being stored at a fire station for pick up.
MAINTENANCE THE ISSUE?
Several days after this meeting, Mayor Kant told the Times he had contacted the board's manufacturer -- and was told that improper maintenance was likely the cause of the misfires; and the company was sending a representative to provide additional training on the equipment.
Kant also said that firemen actually were prohibited from setting off the rockets manually anyway, by the city's insurance carrier.
Council President Burrell also told the Times he thought the issue was being adequately addressed.
Having the volunteer firemen stage the fireworks shows, rather than hiring fireworks specialists as some other cities do, saves the city about $25K a year, according to the mayor.
The Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department is a private 501(c)4 non profit corporation under contract to provide fire protection for the city: they are not obligated to do fireworks.
Although most are also city employees, firemen work under direction of their Board of Directors and Fire Chief, currently Chris Ellis.
FIREMEN CONCERNED
Fairhope volunteer fireman -- and city mechanic -- Eddie Hall told the city council recently about problems with equipment they use to shoot off fireworks on New Years Eve, Fourth of July and sporting events.
Hall said the electrical "board" they use to ignite the rockets has been malfunctioning since at least 2010 -- causing them to have to be ignited manually with a torch or flare.
"Chief Ellis liked to lost his right hand trying to light off some (manually) ... with a flare ... that the board wouldn't light off ... . 4th of July ... we had to light 300 of them off ... New Year's ... a hundred ... ."
Hall said the current board can be fixed; but said the department's fireworks committee is recommending upgrading now to a better board with higher capacity instead.
He said the "outdated" board could be upgraded as well -- but for about $10K a new programmable board could be bought that would last much longer and allow for bigger shows in the future. (Currently about 1,400 rounds are shot on July 4th; the upgrade would allow 2,000.)
"Its a safety problem ... a bad safety problem ... ."
Hall said his own son was nearly injured setting one off this past Fourth of July as was fireman Jimmy Cluster's son and others.Hall: "I don't want my son to die ... . Fairhope is known for several things ... sunsets ... flowers ... Arts and Crafts ... and the fireworks show ... there have been a couple of people hurt on this thing ... this board needs to be replaced."
He said there are still 6 rounds that failed to fire being stored at a fire station for pick up.
MAINTENANCE THE ISSUE?
Several days after this meeting, Mayor Kant told the Times he had contacted the board's manufacturer -- and was told that improper maintenance was likely the cause of the misfires; and the company was sending a representative to provide additional training on the equipment.
Kant also said that firemen actually were prohibited from setting off the rockets manually anyway, by the city's insurance carrier.
Council President Burrell also told the Times he thought the issue was being adequately addressed.
Having the volunteer firemen stage the fireworks shows, rather than hiring fireworks specialists as some other cities do, saves the city about $25K a year, according to the mayor.
The Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department is a private 501(c)4 non profit corporation under contract to provide fire protection for the city: they are not obligated to do fireworks.
Although most are also city employees, firemen work under direction of their Board of Directors and Fire Chief, currently Chris Ellis.
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