information from King County Sheriff

King County’s unincorporated communities will get assistance in keeping the Fourth of July holiday safe, with a $25,000 boost in Sheriff funding for increased patrols. Metropolitan King County Councilmembers Joe McDermott, Larry Gossett, and Reagan Dunn announced that funds for the King County Sheriff’s Office were prioritized in the King County Budget. These patrols will be on the lookout for illegal firework usage during the Fourth of July holiday.

“With growing concerns over public safety, these funds for the Sheriff are intended to ensure a safe 4th of July celebration for everyone,” said McDermott.

“It is important that residents of our unincorporated areas can celebrate our Independence Day, but do it in a safe and legal manner,” said Gossett. “These increased patrols will go a long way to ensure that.”

$25,000 was prioritized to cover 300 hours of extra emphasis which will be split between the three sheriff precincts; Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest King County. The intent of this action is to ensure deputies can better respond to 911 calls made in response to illegal fireworks. 

“My first priority as folks celebrate Independence Day is to help ensure the safety of unincorporated residents,” said Dunn. “I worked hard with my colleagues to get the additional funding that the Sheriff’s Office needed in order to provide a heavier police presence leading up to and on the Fourth.”

“The additional funding that we received from the King County Council is being used to proactively respond to illegal firework calls,” said Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht.  “We want everyone to have a safe 4th of July.”

In unincorporated King County fireworks may only be discharged on July 4 from 9 a.m. to midnight. Residents are encouraged to act responsibly when using fireworks. Examples of legal fireworks include cone fountains, smoke devices, mines/shells/cakes, wheels, parachutes, roman candles, ground spinners, cylindrical fountains, sparklers, and poppers.

There are a number of free firework shows located around King County. The cities of Bellevue, Auburn, Carnation, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Kenmore, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Mountlake Terrace, Renton, Sammamish, Seattle, and Tukwila are all hosting public fireworks displays on July 4th. See each city’s website or social media for more information.

For more information about how to use fireworks safely and legally go to:  https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/permitting-environmental-review/fire-marshal/fireworks.aspx.