With the 4th of July nearly here, the Seattle Police Department would like to provide you with some important reminders about safety, fireworks and how you can help ease the strain on our 911 center during the busy holiday.
While Seafair’s fireworks show will be virtual this year, please do not take it upon yourself to fill the IRL void.
The possession, manufacture, storage, sale and use of fireworks (meaning everything but pop-it caps) is prohibited in Seattle, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
911 call centers are typically inundated on the 4th with reports of fireworks-related injuries and house fires.
Because of that influx of calls, please only use 911 to report life-threatening emergencies. We are also unable to respond to fireworks complaints (or any other crime reports, for that matter) sent via Twitter.
While the Seattle Police Department values every call from neighbors about concerns in their communities, the Fourth has typically been a loud and busy day for police and firefighters, and frequent fireworks noise complaints make it more difficult for 911 operators, police, and fire officials to respond to life-threatening emergencies across the city.
DO CALL 911: to report fires, injuries, crimes, or any other life-threatening incidents.
DO NOT CALL 911: to complain about noise from fireworks.
If you do have concerns about fireworks in your neighborhood, but nothing has been damaged and no one has been injured, you can still call the Seattle Police non-emergency number at (206) 625-5011.