Letters to The Editor: July 11-17, 2024

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The Editor:

Oh, say, did you hear all the bombs bursting near?

If you live in the city of Blaine, you heard them, beginning on July 3 and extending through July 5.Blaine puts on the best and biggest “old-fashioned July celebration” in Whatcom County. The new parade route was great, as were all the vendors, music, play areas, car show and book sale. In the evening, fireworks were launched from Semiahmoo, for all to watch from Peace Portal Drive, the marina, porches and rooftops in town, safely.

And then, there were the fireworks that turned our wonderful “back in time” small town into a warzone.

Every year, there is a letter such as ours, ranting about private fireworks in city limits. This year is our turn. We hope our thoughts may compel action by the city of Blaine. The issues of common decency and neighborliness, and the issue of the danger of fireworks in the hands of non-professionals, are worth reviewing.

Regarding neighborly consideration: Why are the desires of the few who wish to shoot fireworks inside the city limits given preference over the desires of the majority, who would love to have a backyard July 4 barbecue without feeling like they are in a military battle?

Regarding the danger of private fireworks: Must Blaine wait until a house is burned, an adult is injured, or a child is killed before banning private fireworks in town?

Last year, 9,700 Americans sought ER services, and eight people died from July 4 fireworks accidents. See July 5 Washington news:

Renton: A brush fire set off by illegal fireworks near an apartment building forced people to evacuate because of flames near the building, July 4.

Auburn: A 15-year-old teen lost a portion of his hand when he lit a mortar on Sunday, June 30.

Bothell: A 45-year-old man died when hit in the back of the head by the mortar-style firework he had lit.

It’s time to do the right thing. It’s time to ban private fireworks in the city of Blaine.

Andrea Stampley and Dave Carr

Blaine

 

The Editor:

I was perplexed by Doug Dahl’s response to the question regarding the one-lane road rules on Drayton Harbor Road. Mr. Dahl states one option is that all cars should proceed through without stopping when there are several cars waiting on one side, when no vehicle is present on the opposite side.

General driving regulations state that one must come to a complete stop before any stop sign and then proceed. This recommendation of flushing through contradicts the universal stop sign rule.

It is also confusing in that two of the stop signs are four-way stops and third is a simple stop sign. 

Over 60 percent of drivers don’t obey the second stop sign when proceeding southeast. The above scenario could result eventually in an unnecessary accident let alone inducing further road rage.

Gabriel Komjathy

Blaine

 

The Editor:

Did you know that call volumes to North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) have nearly doubled in the last 10 years, and EMS calls have increased by 50 percent, resulting in 71 percent of all calls being EMS-related? Did you know that 30 percent of the time, multiple emergencies in the area happen at once, and NWFR isn’t staffed to respond to multiple overlapping calls?

This could mean longer response times when minutes count. This could mean the difference between life and death.

From time to time, NWFR must ask voters to reset their fire levy rate. This is known as a levy lid lift, and it helps them keep up with costs to provide service for higher call volumes.

That time has come, and therefore a very important local measure will be on the ballot in the August 6 primary election, asking voters to consider lifting the current levy lid.

What will happen if the measure doesn’t pass? NWFR will be forced to operate below minimum staffing levels, they won’t be able to replace or maintain aging apparatus, and they won’t be able to replace Birch Bay Station – all of which will impact response times districtwide. Without a funding increase, emergency medical services might not be available when you need them.

I strongly urge you to vote yes on August 9.

To learn more, I encourage you to attend one of several public meetings in July, hosted by NWFR fire chief Jason Van der Veen, or visit nwfrs.net/levy-lid-lift.

Margot Savell

Birch Bay

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