Update on Wichita fireworks activity over 2024 Fourth of July

At Tuesday's Wichita City Council workshop, Fire Chief Tammy Snow provided a review of Fourth of July fireworks activity.

Chief Snow says there was only one structure fire related to fireworks activity, which resulted in $10,000 in damage. Overall, 36 injuries were reported and 1,160 calls were submitted to the fireworks complaint hotline, with 719 of them originating within the city limits.

While citations increased by 580%, Snow said they gave people more than enough warning.

The city generated $75,000 in permit fees, which helped pay for enforcement costs. The city has around $8,000 left over, which will be used for a marketing and educational campaign next year. Planning for the 2025 holiday will start Wednesday.

Also at Tuesday's workshop, we heard an update about the city's Violence Interrupter program.

Staff have been working the past three months expanding their presence and building relationships with at-risk youth and their families. Thus far, 61 families have been served by the program and 10 known incidents were prevented.

$1.5 million in ARPA funds were used to get the 3-year-program up and running. City staff recommend an additional $1.6 million in ARPA funding to run the program through September 2026.