The 4th of July weekend is a time for fun, family and of course, fireworks! However it also tends to be a few days where there’s heightened risk for accidents. In an effort to keep the community safe, the Seattle Police Department and Seattle Fire Department have released this public safety announcement:

The Seattle Police Department and Seattle Fire Department would like to remind the public that there are no legal fireworks in the City of Seattle.

The possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling and use of fireworks are prohibited. Fireworks offenses are gross misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

Fireworks pose a fire hazard to property and present a safety risk to those who use them. Every year the Seattle Fire Department responds to fireworks-related fires and injuries. Each and every one of these incidents could have been prevented.

On the 4^th of July, 911 centers become overloaded with non-emergency fireworks calls. DO NOT call 911 unless you have a life-threatening emergency and need immediate help from police, fire or medics. Unnecessary 911 calls block people with real emergencies from reaching 911 and getting help.

Any fireworks-related fires or injuries should be reported directly to 911. Other fireworks violations may be reported by calling the Seattle Police non-emergency number at (206) 625-5011.

The Seattle Police and Seattle Fire Department wish you a safe and enjoyable 4^th of July celebration!

Happy 4th of July Queen Anne! Have a great weekend, and if you feel like sharing some of your favorite pictures of the fireworks, send them in to tips@queenanneview.com.

For those of you who couldn’t make it to the Queen Anne/South Lake Union Public Safety Forum last week, Seattle Channel has video of the event and has put it up online–all 66 minutes of it–for your viewing pleasure!

Speakers and panelists at the forum included representatives from the Seattle Police Department, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Council, as well as community and organizational leaders. Topics covered included public safety, Block Watch programs,  graffiti reporting–a particularly hot issue in Queen Anne right now–and more.

For those who prefer to watch Seattle Channel on the good old fashioned TV, they will be airing repeats of the cablecast at 2 p.m. today, Thursday, April 29 and 2 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, April 30 on Channel 21.

After a woman was assaulted outside her Lower Queen Anne apartment back in February, many neighbors got together to organize a Lower QA/Uptown Block Watch group to promote public safety in the community. The first meeting was held last Thursday, April 8, and organizer J.P. Flores says it was a huge success.

For those who couldn’t make it to the meeting, J.P. has put together a few notes on the topics covered and what the group plans to do next to bolster public safety and deter crime in the neighborhood, including weekly walks, building-specific Block Captains and mobilizing communication via social media. Take a look:

We had about 27 people show up for the meeting which I think was a great turn out! As Melanie said, there was a good energy and A lot of Great Ideas were presented as far as personal safety as well as improvements to the neighborhood. Just a few points were:

• A weekly walk is a fun constructive way to 1) keep a community presence on the street and 2) get to know your neighbors!
• 911 should be called if you want an officer to come out. Don’t be afraid to call, as this is a good way for the police to track crime trends in the area (this includes reckless driving, screaming people and so on).
• Neighborhood Block watch signs would be a great way to discourage criminal behavior in the area (Terrie suggested asking the businesses in the area if they would contribute in part or full for the cost of the signs as it is for their benefit as well).

Block Captains
Terrie spoke of block captains that would relay news or events to the people on their block, since we live in a neighborhood of condo and apartment complexes, we should have building captains like Terrie suggested. This person would relay any news about events we would be planning (weekly walks, or maybe even a yearly bbq for National Night Out) and address any issues relative to LQA safety. If you are interested in being a block captain please email me and we can discuss it one on one.

Social Media?
For anyone who uses Facebook or Has a Twitter account, I think a Facebook page for the LQA watch should be created that would post to your news feed as just another way to stay connected in our neighborhood and provide a more open forum for discussion. If everyone likes the Idea I will set one up.

The group has proposed weekly community walks, which would take place at 7 p.m. every Thursday. J.P. would like to hear feedback and suggestions on these proposals from neighbors and those interested in getting involved. You can contact J.P. at jflor84@gmail.com.