City Commissioners will discuss fireworks during their July 15 work session.

The discussion follows a fatal house fire on July 2 at 1109 2nd Ave. S.W. that officials believe was caused by fireworks.

An elderly woman, and her dog and cat, died in the fire.

Following the incident, Commissioner Rick Tryon posted on social media that he was going to ask his fellow commissioners if they were in agreement to direct staff to draft a resolution to update city code to ban fireworks within the city limits.

Fatal fire believed to be caused by fireworks

City code changes are done by ordinance, which require formal public hearings.

Fireworks will be discussed during the July 15 work session, which is an informal meeting during which no formal votes are taken.

During work sessions, commissioners can, by consensus, direct city staff to draft code changes, policies or otherwise present information to commissioners.

Formal action is only taken during regular commission meetings and those actions must be properly noticed and included on the agenda.

In a follow-up post, Tryon said he would start the process of changing the code either by commission vote or sending the question to the ballot for a public vote.

Commissioners would have to vote to send an ordinance change question to the ballot.

GFFR responded to seven fireworks calls on July 4 [2023]

A municipal election is scheduled for November, but adding a question to the ballot, would increase the city’s cost slightly.

There was some chatter online over the last week that fireworks were on the 2021 ballot.

Fireworks complaints up this year [2020]

There was no question of fireworks on the city ballot for at least the last 12 years, per this reporter’s reporting and the city clerk’s records, who had no record whatsoever of fireworks being placed on the ballot.

Great Falls Fire Marshal Mike McIntosh said that their investigation into the fatal July 2 fire had concluded.

Deputy fire marshals went to the fire scene again on July 7 looking for cameras but were unable to find any that would produce usable video footage, McIntosh told The Electric, so fire investigators had to go with the information provided to them on scene.

July 4 holiday calls down again this year [2018]

This year, the calls to Great Falls Fire Rescue and Great Falls Police department from July 1-5 were:

Great Falls Fire Rescue, per Chief Jeremy Jones

Total fire incidents:

• 2025: 10
• 2024: 9
• 2023: 6
• 2022: 4
• 2021: 33
• 2020: 7

• 2025: 14
• 2024: 12
• 2023: 7
• 2022: 1
• 2021: 43

• 2025: 40
• 2024: 19
• 2023: 21
• 2022: 24
• 2021: 57

Great Falls Police Department, per Lt. Matt Fleming

• 2025: 53
• 2024: 36
• 2023: 36

All calls for service: 

• 2025: 500
• 2024: 446
• 2023: 570

In 2021, July 4 was a Sunday and that weekend, GFFR responded to 139 calls and of those, 31 were grass fires, 11 dumpster fires, two structure fires directly related to fireworks and two EMS calls related to fireworks, to include second degree burns from fireworks.

City Commission discusses annual goals

In 2020, from July 2-5, there were five grass fires and two dumpster fires related to fireworks, according to fire officials.

There were Stage 1 fire restrictions in place in Cascade County for the July 4, 2021 holiday.

Nearly every year, the community and public officials discuss fireworks and the city’s current regulations that allow the sale and discharge of certain types of fireworks within the city limits from July 2-4 from 8 a.m. to midnight each day.

Foundation fundraising to continue community fireworks display

The city fireworks show is privately funded through the Peoples Park and Recreation Foundation and is conducted by a professional fireworks company.

In 2016, Bob Kelly, former mayor, held a town hall on fireworks.

About 60 people attended and were split roughly down the middle about keeping the rules as is or restricting fireworks further.

Resident asks city to consider banning fireworks within city limits [2018]

No change was made to the current city ordinance restrictions on the dates that fireworks are allowed to be sold and used.

The commission last changed city code related to fireworks in 2017, raising the age to 10 for those requiring parental supervision to discharge fireworks.

The commission also added a provision, at the suggestion of former Commissioner Bill Bronson, allowing the city manager, after consultation with the fire chief, to issue an emergency declaration banning the use of fireworks during the normal allowable times if weather conditions such as high winds, drought or extreme heat, pose a danger to public safety.

Fewer calls over this July 4 holiday than previous years; open burning remains prohibited in Cascade County [2017]

Missoula, Kalispell, Helena, Bozeman and Billings ban fireworks within the city limits.

Fireworks are allowed, with few restrictions, in Cascade County and are governed by state law.

During the commission’s Jan. 3 retreat, Mayor Cory Reeves asked if it would be possible to put a fireworks ordinance on the ballot because he got a lot of complaints on New Year’s Eve.

City Manager Greg Doyon said “sure.”

Cascade County implements fire restrictions [2022]

City Commissioner Shannon Wilson said she rode with GFPD on New Year’s Eve and fireworks were going well outside the legal times.

“If you have ordinance against it, they’re still going to do it,” she said.

Reeves said he thinks they should put it on a ballot since the community is divided on fireworks.

“Why do us five have to make that decision,” Reeves asked.

State launches fire restrictions map; local officials urge caution as fire danger increases [2021]

He asked if the city would have to pay to put that question on the ballot and said he didn’t understand that process.

Doyon asked to let staff explore it and said that if they adopt a fireworks ban, they’d need to have the ability to enforce it.

Reeves asked if they could ban fireworks for individuals and still allow commercial displays, to which staff said yes.

Lisa Kunz, city clerk, pointed out that the county allows fireworks.

Commissioner Joe McKenney said in January that the only thing he wanted on the ballot were things they have to put there.

If it doesn’t have to be on the ballot, “then that’s our job as commissioners to vote on it. I think that’s our job.”