(Riverton, WY) – On Tuesday, June 30, the City of Riverton held a special meeting to discuss a resolution that would have banned fireworks in City limits on July 4.
The Council ultimately decided to amend the resolution, and allow consumer fireworks in a designated area.
“Under the resolution, the discharge of consumer fireworks is prohibited throughout the City of Riverton on July 4, except at locations designated by the Riverton Fire Chief within the Honeycutt Softball and Saban Baseball Complex adjacent to Smith Road,” the City shared in a release on June 30 following the special meeting. “Class C consumer fireworks may be used in the designated area between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.”
Throughout the resolution discussion, Riverton Fire Department Chief Jesse Cassity stressed that fire response agencies were in favor of the original ban in the resolution as was written.
“It’s the position of the Fire Department and the Riverton Fire Protection District that we strongly support this resolution to restrict use of consumer-grade fireworks for the 4th of July,” Chief Cassity said of the resolution before it was amended. “As all of us know, fire conditions are fairly severe right now. 98% of the state is in active drought, with 53% of the state in severe drought. We’re seeing and have seen throughout the entire year that fires are starting with ease from minor ignition sources.”
Chief Cassity then referenced the recent string of fires that took place on Highway 789 between Hudson and Riverton, which he said were “set by presumably either a locked trailer bearing or a dragging trailer chain.”
“Those fires are typically things that we’re seeing in the end of August or early September; that’s not something we should be seeing in June,” Chief Cassity said, adding that the fire near the river bottom off of Rein Road back in February that led to evacuations was another out-of-typical-season fire. “And we all can, I’m sure, remember the river bottom fire that we had in February. Again, those are not fires that we should see that time of year.”
Despite the Fire Chief’s recommendation, the council discussed how “people are going to light off fireworks anyways,” and began brainstorming having a designated area for the fireworks.
“Could we designate an area that a baseball diamond, a city park area with cut grass and fire extinguishers available where people could come as a unit or as a group of people to light firecrackers off and garbage cans be available to them so that we could clean up the area after we’re finished…?” Councilman Kyle Larson suggested after stating that the enforceability of the ban would be difficult.
“I have struggled with this, like seriously struggled with it because I’ll be real honest, I’m a fireworks hound,” Councilwoman Karen Johnson added. “I love fireworks. I spend a lot of money on fireworks. It’s the 250th celebration of our nation, and I find it ironic that we’re discussing bans on a day that we’re celebrating our freedoms.”
“I too have received calls and posted on Facebook, and the vast majority of people would like to see them banned,” Johnson continued. “I am also in agreeance with Mr. Larson. We’re not going to be able to enforce it. Either the fire department’s going to be running or the police department’s going to be running. …We are trying to get started a tradition in Riverton for celebrating the 4th of July, and if we banned fireworks and they’re allowed in Lander, guess where people’s going to go? They’re going to go to Lander, and they’re not going to stay here and celebrate the festivities that so many people have worked hard to put forth.”
As a “happy medium,” Johnson recommended the baseball fields where the Little League had its fireworks show last week.
“…I wouldn’t be opposed to having that area mowed down and flooded, watered down, whatever, (then) at least it’s in a controlled environment, and maybe restrict the hours so they’re not running all day.,” Johnson said. “But it still allows for the community to be able to shoot them off in a specific area, controlled with maybe a couple of engines on standby or something for the couple hours that it’s allowed.”
“…One of the nice things about the ball fields is that it’s already under city control, we have access to it,” Mayor Tim Hacock added. “It’s large enough that a lot of people could go down there and do it.”
“Would you have the resources available to have someone standing by there?” Mayor Hancock asked Chief Cassity.
“I can’t make that guarantee, because we take calls as they come, and we are limited to our manpower and our equipment,” Chief Cassity replied. “And right now, county is anticipating being extremely busy. As we’ve talked about, Lander isn’t restricting their use of fireworks. So, we place this scenario out for you; if Lander has an event on the 4th of July that evening from fireworks, and has structure fires and fires in town, County is their first mutual aid partner. So, as they have or need for more resources in City Limits and Lander, Fremont County will respond, leaving portions of the county understaffed. So if there’s an event in the county, then it comes to us. We will send what we have available while still covering town.”
Chief Cassity also had hesitations about having the designated area be the baseball fields.
“That is right on the river bottom, right by the Rendezvous Ponds, and we’ve had major incidents down there before,” Chief Cassity explained. “If we get called out and have to leave and have an incident trying to get back there, traffic in that area is a major problem. We only have one thoroughfare through there on Smith Road. When we do the little league fireworks, we only commit a few trucks to that area because if we have something else in town, we can’t get there. We can’t physically get out of that area when there’s that much traffic. I wouldn’t recommend the little league fields…”
“So, I’m not opposed to making a designated place for people to go to set fireworks off,” Chief Cassity also commented. “I agree, it’s the 250th anniversary of the country, and people are going to shoot fireworks no matter what. If we provide them a safe avenue, that’s great. We will do what we can to have equipment and personnel available to stand by. And I also understand people have spent a lot of money on fireworks. I understand all of that. My concern is the risk to lives and property throughout the city.”
Following further discussion, the council ultimately decided to restrict the fireworks Honeycutt Softball and Saban Baseball Complex.
The decision led to pushback from community members, including representatives from the Riverton Little League who expressed disappointment that they were not consulted in the decision. (Click here to read their statement.)
The Riverton Fire Department also expressed concerns with the decision. (Click here to read their statement.)
(Editor’s Note: The above embed links are not working. The statements have been added at the bottom of the post.)
In response to the feedback and concerns, the City of Riverton has scheduled another special meeting, which will take place today, Wednesday, July 1, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers at Riverton City Hall, located at 816 N. Federal Blvd.
The meeting is open to the public, and will also be livestreaned on the City YouTube page.
For questions or further assistance, contact Riverton City Hall at (307) 856-2227 or visit during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Riverton Little League Response:
We understand the decision has been made to allow public fireworks at the Riverton Little League complex. While we may not have had a voice in that decision, we hope everyone involved will recognize the responsibility that comes with it and the tremendous investment our volunteers have made in this facility.
However, we feel it is important to address the comparison made during the City Council discussion regarding the professional fireworks show held at our complex last week. A professionally permitted and controlled fireworks display is vastly different from opening the complex to the general public to discharge consumer fireworks. These are two entirely different situations with different levels of planning, oversight, and risk.
Our greatest concern is for the countless volunteer hours that have been invested into our baseball complex. Hundreds of volunteers have spent thousands of hours maintaining these fields, buildings, fencing, dugouts, and grounds for the youth of our community. We are saddened that the impact this decision could have on those efforts does not appear to have been fully considered.
If the City has chosen our complex as the designated location for consumer fireworks, we respectfully ask that the City also commit the resources necessary to protect it. That includes providing adequate staffing, barriers, traffic control, trash receptacles, restroom access, cleanup support, and dedicated City personnel throughout the evening. We also respectfully request that the City provide dedicated fire protection at the complex throughout the event. Our local firefighters will already be stretched thin responding to calls across the community on the Fourth of July. During the Council meeting, Fire Chief Jesse Cassity stated that he could not guarantee fire personnel would be staffed at the complex for the entire evening. If this location has been designated by the City for public consumer fireworks, there should be adequate personnel and resources on site to help protect the property and respond immediately should an emergency arise.
Additionally, we ask the City to clearly communicate who will be responsible should damage occur to the baseball complex. Riverton Little League is a nonprofit organization built and maintained through donations and countless volunteer hours. We simply do not have the financial resources to repair significant damage if something goes wrong. If the City has selected our facility for this purpose, we believe there should also be a plan and commitment to address any damage that may result. If damage does occur, will the City stand behind its decision and help restore the facilities our volunteers have worked so hard to build?
We also extend an invitation to the council members who voted in favor of this resolution to join us at the complex that evening. We invite you to help monitor the event, assist with cleanup, and see firsthand what it takes to maintain and protect this facility. We believe witnessing the dedication of our volunteers would provide valuable perspective on why we are so concerned.
While the City Council and Mayor ultimately made this decision, Riverton Little League respectfully asks everyone who chooses to celebrate at our complex to remember what this facility represents. It represents hundreds of volunteer hours, countless fundraising events, generous sponsors, and a community that comes together every year to give local kids the opportunity to play baseball.
Although this is City-owned property, the City is not the one funding many of the improvements, repairs, equipment, and ongoing maintenance that keep this complex operating. Those expenses are covered through fundraising, sponsorships, donations, registration fees, and the dedication of volunteers who give their time because they believe in our youth.
If you choose to use the baseball complex this Fourth of July, we simply ask that you treat it as if it were your own. Please clean up after yourselves, dispose of fireworks properly, respect the facilities, and help us protect a place that means so much to hundreds of local families.
Riverton Little League has always been about building more than baseball players—we’re building a community. We hope everyone will help us preserve this special place for the next generation of kids who will call these fields home.
Our baseball fields are more than dirt and grass—they are home to hundreds of local children and families. Every fence, dugout, field, and improvement represents years of volunteer labor, fundraising, and community support. We are simply asking that every reasonable measure be taken to ensure this community asset remains safe and protected.
Riverton Fire Department Response:
To the Citizens of the Riverton Fire Protection District,
We want to be clear: given the extreme drought conditions we are experiencing, we wholeheartedly supported the City Council’s original resolution, which called for a complete ban on fireworks within the Riverton city limits. This proposal mirrored the restrictions our neighboring jurisdictions—including Fremont County, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Wind River Agency—have had in place since Monday, June 29. (The exception is the Wind River Reservation, which has had a fire ban in place since early this spring.)
That being said, we were amicable to the amended resolution put forth by the Riverton City Council, with the exception of the Honeycutt and Ron Saban complex location, which were not our recommendation. There are numerous significant exposures in that area, including, but not limited to, the City of Riverton’s yard waste and mulch piles, Fremont County’s Solid Waste bale station, and the river bottom directly east of the baseball and softball fields.
We will work with the Riverton Police Department and City of Riverton staff to designate the best available areas for you—the citizens of Riverton and the surrounding communities—to safely light your fireworks.
We also want it to be understood that a professional pyrotechnic display, such as the one that was conducted at the Little League fields last week, is not the same as multiple individuals lighting consumer-grade fireworks. As previously stated, without the severe storm that came through our area Wednesday night, the Little League show likely would not have taken place. We typically support applications for permitted pyrotechnic events submitted to the City Council because these events are conducted by licensed professionals who are responsible for their displays and maintain their own liability insurance. At the request of the pyrotechnician in charge, we also provide standby coverage for these limited events at no cost.
We sincerely hope that, if you choose to light your own consumer fireworks on July 4th, you do so in a safe, respectful, and responsible manner.
We are always accepting applications for volunteers. If you are interested, please reach out, and we will be happy to help you get the process started.