Two private clubs in Fort Wayne, Ind. area received coverage for finding ways to safely hold shows despite a burn ban in the county. In Alabama, police were called after a naked man who attended a public fireworks show under the influence of LSD broke into Birmingham CC in search of something to drink.
Two private clubs in the Fort Wayne, Ind. area were featured in local Fourth-of-July news coverage for being able to hold holiday fireworks celebrations despite a burn ban that was in force throughout Allen Country.
Safety precautions were taken at Sycamore Hills Golf Club and Fort Wayne Country Club, indiananewscenter.com reported, to secure fire marshal approval and still be able to have fireworks displays as part of holiday festivities for their memberships.
“[While] burn bans in effect in counties across our viewing area have muffled the holiday tradition, larger-scale exhibitions like ones at two local golf clubs will still be putting a charge into the night-time air,” said reporter Jeff Neumeyer.
“Obviously, it’s very hot and dry, the reason for the prohibition on shooting off fireworks in neighborhoods,” Neumeyer added. “But at Sycamore Hills and at Fort Wayne Country Club, where they are shooting off commercial fireworks on the 4th, the conditions are very different, because regular watering has been going on to keep the courses groomed for golfing members.”
Jim Murua, Ft. Wayne Fire Marshal, was then quoted in the report as saying: ” I’ve actually walked across both of those golf courses and they are pretty spongy and wet.
“We are going to be out there also to assist them in some areas where they couldn’t quite reach, to get some water down in some of those areas,” Murua added.
City fire officials made formal requests of both venues to postpone their displays until the drought eased, indiananewscenter.com reported, but because displays run by professionally certified fireworks outfits are not prohibited under the Allen County burn ban, the clubs could, and did choose, to go ahead with their shows as scheduled around the 4th of July holiday.
Fort Wayne Country Club’s General Manager, Sandy Frappier, told Neumeyer she worked with city fire officials to ensure public safety would not be compromised by the shows. City firefighters were scheduled to be on site until the last explosion trailed off.
“We will have off-duty firefighters manning extra rigs that are out of service normally, and those rigs will not be there on site, so we’re not actually taking any resources away from the city,” Murua confirmed about the arrangements that the clubs had made. “The city will still have all of its resources at all the stations and be able to respond to any type of emergency.”
Four to eight firefighters would be on hand for each of the golf club exhibitions, Murua added, with the clubs, not taxpayers, picking up the cost for their time.
Meanwhile, police in Mountain Brook, Ala., were called to Birmingham Country Club early on the morning of July 5th and arrested a naked man they said broke into the club in search of something to drink.
The Birmingham News reported that officers were called at 3:38 a.m. Thursday on a report of a disoriented person. A security guard heard something in the dining room and went to investigate, and found a 21-year-old naked man with a swollen ankle, it was reported.
The man told police he had taken a lot of LSD before a fireworks show and didn’t remember anything after leaving for the show. He told officers he thought he went into the club looking for a drink.
The man, who had not yet been formally charged at the time of the report, was taken to a hospital to treat his ankle.
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