Thank you for the article on fire danger in Forest Park, (“Is Portland ready for a catastrophic wildfire in Forest Park?” April 30). After seeing what happened in Los Angeles, our concerns are larger than that. We live near Gabriel Park and there is more fire fuel there than I’ve ever seen before. And we are having the driest spring we can remember. Especially with the non-existent enforcement of the Portland fireworks ban, we are already dreading the entire months of June and July. Last year the fireworks explosions continued until two or three in the morning for weeks on end.
I’ve contacted our district city council representatives with a suggestion that Portland emulate our neighbor to the north – the city of Vancouver. Residents there tell me that they have a ban that is enforced proactively with a minimum $500 fine that is extremely effective. It was initiated by their fire department because they were spending so much time on fireworks-caused issues.
We used to just suffer through a night or two of disruptions, but it has gotten way out of control over the last several years. And as we all know, fire is not the only bad outcome of fireworks. Our veterans, pets, wildlife and babies can suffer tremendously; especially when it goes on and on and on…