Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Grand July Fourth Fireworks Show At Horseshoe Hill Requires A Master Plan
Kimball volunteer fireman Taylor Brown puts shells in mortars to prepare for the electronically ignited fireworks grand finale at Horseshoe Hill on the evening of the Fourth of July.
July 4th was a busy day for the Kimball Volunteer Department. Their day began at Gotte Park with fire truck rides and kids spraying fire hoses.
Later in the day the firemen set up the fireworks on Horseshoe Hill and finally, at about 10 p.m., they set off the fireworks but in between all that, they put their skills to work by fighting a grass fire.
On July 5, Monday, the fireman will "pull all the mortars and clean up after the fireworks display," fireman Taylor Brown said.
The $7,000 fireworks show is sponsored by Firstier Bank, and the Kimball Volunteer Department does the planning, ground work and igniting.
Brown is in charge of the fireworks show. In order to do a commercial display of fireworks, Taylor has to be certificated and permitted through the state. The fireworks sit in a locked trailer, behind a locked gate until the 4th and then he begins unwrapping and organizing the various shells.
The department has teams of firemen setting off the aerial displays in the main show, while additional firemen are placed below to watch and extinguish sparks. Safety always first, the fireman mow and then water down the pasture just prior to the show. The show consisted of 436 aerial shots.
After about 30 minutes of fireworks, the grand finale was ignited. It began with 80 5-inch shells, followed by 6-inch shots and finally ended with 8-inch aerial shells.
The grand finale of the fireworks display is ignited electronically. According to state regulations, any fireworks over 6 inches in diameter is required to be ignited electronically.
Taylor rewired a charger so the switches line up and then he uses a Dewalt battery to ignite the grand finale.
Just before the fireworks show was to begin, the department received a call of a grass fire. The grass fire was extinguished and by 10 p.m., and the fireman had resumed their positions on Horseshoe Hill and the outstanding fireworks show got started.
