- The West Jordan Fire Department is handing out free buckets for fire prevention during the Fourth of July holiday.
- Residents can collect buckets at fireworks stands.
- The buckets helped cut firework fires by 90% in a city in Colorado; West Jordan aims for similar success.
WEST JORDAN — The West Jordan Fire Department is giving out buckets as a new fire prevention tool during fireworks season.
Starting this week, 700 five-gallon buckets will be given out at fireworks stands across the city.
"What we are asking is one per household," said West Jordan Deputy Fire Chief Clint Paxton. "No purchase is necessary. So if you do the math, that's about 70 buckets per firework stand. They'll probably go fast."
A similar program in a Colorado city led to a 90% reduction in firework-related fires. Now, West Jordan is giving it a try.
Firefighters recommend filling the bucket halfway with water. Then, soak the used fireworks in it overnight.
"Just as simple as, like, setting them inside, pushing them down a little bit so they're waterlogged and then just leave them overnight so they're nice and soaked and cooled off," said the department's public education specialist Becky Steeneck.
She and Paxton said every year, they see a lot of garbage cans that catch on fire because the fireworks weren't completely extinguished.
"What they don't see is the embers that are deep, like embedded deep inside, that aren't giving off any smoke or any heat or anything like that," Paxton said.
He said the heat builds up slowly over time inside the trash bin, leading to a fire that can spread to people's homes.
Steeneck suggested using your own bucket at home to soak fireworks properly. She's seen that it can make a huge difference.
"You might not notice that your fireworks are starting fires in other places in your neighborhood or around the city, so something just as simple as soaking them in a bucket or leaving them out overnight just so they're completely cooled off, this is a really easy thing to do that you can do to have a big impact on our community," she said.
Cities across Utah, including West Jordan, have their own fireworks restrictions. Restricted areas include setting them off within 200 feet of canals or creeks, west of Bacchus Highway, city parks and church properties.
Each West Jordan Fire Department bucket contains a QR code that directs users to a map showing fireworks restrictions in the city.
"What we recommend is you have at least 30 feet from any structure," Paxton said. "When you're lighting those fireworks off, make sure that they are legal. Fireworks no higher than 150 feet in the air. Make sure they're the right classification to light them off and that they do it safely. Also, you have to be 16 years or older to light off aerial fireworks."
