06/30/2006: "Fireworks & Ferries: You May Be Checked"

As the Fourth of July approaches, many residents in San Juan County are planning their celebration, and many of these celebrations will include fireworks.

The employees at Washington State Ferries, the Washington State Patrol and the explosive-sniffing dogs of the canine units want to remind customers that illegal fireworks are just that, "illegal."

"Customers purchasing illegal fireworks at a reservation and then boarding a ferry should expect that a canine will detect explosives in their vehicle and, if found, illegal fireworks will be confiscated," reminds Traci Brewer-Rogstad, Director of Marine Operations. Illegal fireworks include bottle rockets, missile-type rockets, firecrackers and chasers as well as M80s, M100s and larger.

Customers transporting fireworks onboard a ferry should be aware that an important part of the ferry system's overall security plan is the use of explosive detection canine teams to screen vehicles. The dogs are trained to sniff out explosives, which includes fireworks. This means that vehicles carrying fireworks should anticipate and allow for screening time. WSF also suggest that fireworks be placed somewhere in the vehicle that is readily accessible during the screening. "Your cooperation and timely response to making your fireworks available for inspection by our canine teams will assist us in keeping our printed schedule," says Traci Brewer-Rogstad, Director of Marine Operations.

Route Specific Information
Every year the fireworks display on Lopez Island attracts a large crowd. This year, Washington State Ferries has developed a creative schedule to assist customers to get to and from the islands before and after the event. On Wednesday, July 5 and Thursday, July 6, the Kaleetan will make an extra 3 p.m. sailing from Friday Harbor and a 3:35 p.m. from Lopez to Anacortes to pick up extra traffic that made it a long holiday weekend.