Manomet Residents Express Concerns for a Safe July 3

The Fourth of July is a busy weekend for public safety officials across the country, and Plymouth is no exception. May 26, town officials met with Manomet residents to discuss how to keep the village safe on July 3 when people will be celebrating the anniversary of our nation.

For years, White Horse Beach has been a center of celebrations with bonfires and fireworks. To ensure that the family-friendly events are safer, there will be a strong presence from the police, fire department and harbor patrol to keep the crowds safe. Part of the plan is to get officers on the beach early which, according to Police Chief Mike Botieri, will keep some rowdier elements away.

"If you enforce it early, a lot of them will just say 'this sucks, let's get out of here,'" Botieri said.

After officials commented, residents addressed their safety concerns. Bonfires in particular are a source of many incidents. Not only can people accidentally get burned, but they tend to draw crowds and sometimes the mix of high spirits and distilled spirits causes trouble.

Fire Chief Ed Bradley reminded the Manomet that bonfires require a permit issued through a neighborhood association. Last year the DPW and Fire Departments were busy ahead of the July 4 weekend following up on tips about bonfire stockpiles, and even turned away at least one truck headed to dump off a load of wooden pallets. Knowing where the fires will be also helps the police and other emergency responders know where there might be incidents.

“If you see it, call it in,” Bradley said.

Fireworks were foremost on many minds, the iconic explosives are a mainstay of the Fourth of July and can be quite dangerous in untrained hands. Rhode Island recently legalized sales of fireworks, so there's a growing concern that easier access might lead to more accidents.

Botieri noted that it's difficult to control fireworks on the Fourth of July because so many people are shooting them off and there are many other safety concerns.

“There almost no way we can regulate [fireworks] on the third and fourth of July,” he said.

That doesn’t mean that you can just stroll up to the beach with a big box full of Roman candles, however. Police will confiscate any illegal fireworks and stop any fireworks that are being used in a dangerous manner and if citizens have concerns they may still report incidents so the police can effectively respond. Fireworks shot over the water or open spaces will generally be tolerated, because shutting down every display will pull officers away from other public safety duties.

The remaining problem is controlling the movement of crowds, since people don’t simply disappear after they’ve been moved out of an area. On the third, the goal is to preempt rowdy crowds with towing, ticketing and police presence but once the night starts the number one priority will be everyone’s safety. While the police or fire department might not be on every corner, often they're only a phone call away if there is an incident.