The fireworks season is here, and Tom Trimbath of Clinton is already cringing.

“Every year I’m up on the roof with hat, goggles, gloves and a garden hose,” said Trimbath, who lives in a small house at Sandy Hook near Possession Point.

“It’s one of the most stressful days of the year,” he said. “It’s a health issue. Just talking about it gets my heart rate up.”

He’s not alone.

Each year on South Whidbey, people surrounded by fireworks are guarding their houses, sedating their pets, posting signs in their neighborhoods and wondering whether to call 911.

“I’ve considered abandoning my house,” Trimbath said this week. “If it burns, it burns.”

Mary Jo Oxrieder, who lives with husband and fellow artist Windwalker Taibi near the beach at Holmes Harbor in Freeland, shares Trimbath’s pain.

“Instead of a celebration of freedom, the Fourth of July has become a war zone,” Oxrieder said Thursday. “I feel terrorized.”

She said the pyrotechnics are particularly hard on the couple’s 8-year-old Cairn terrier, Cricket, which they annually are compelled to calm with pharmaceuticals.

“We hate drugging our dog, but she’s absolutely terrified of loud noises,” Oxrieder said. “She just sits there and shivers.”

“It’s not just our dog, it’s all the island’s birds and animals that are affected,” she added.

“People come with trunk loads of beer and fireworks and figure the island is a free-for-all,” Oxrieder continued. “It disrupts sleep, too.”

The biggest concerns appear to be the blasting of illegal fireworks, and blasting them outside legally designated hours.

Island County follows state regulations regarding fireworks. A wide range of the least-powerful devices, such as sparklers, whistlers, ground spinners and noise-makers containing no more than 50 milligrams of explosive materials are classified as consumer fireworks, and can be sold during specified hours from June 28 through July 5.

Larger ordinance, such as bottle rockets, missile rockets, firecrackers, cherry bombs, pipe bombs and M-80s are illegal, and their use can result in confiscation and citations ranging from misdemeanors to felonies.

The periods that legal fireworks can be set off are from noon to 11 p.m. June 28, and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 29 through July 3 and on July 5. On Independence Day, they can be set off from 9 a.m. to midnight.

Many fireworks designated llegal by the state, however, are legal on nearby American Indian reservations, where they can be purchased and set off. Some of those fireworks find their way to South Whidbey each year.

Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said the July 4 holiday traditionally records the highest number of emergency calls each year, due principally to complaints about fireworks.

He said the island’s communications center annually beefs up its staff to handle the calls, and that sheriff’s deputies respond to as many as possible on a priority basis with other emergencies.

“If it’s against the law, it’s against the law,” Brown said Thursday. “We will confiscate illegal fireworks, but we don’t always have the time to thoroughly investigate complaints.”

He urged residents to be judicious about 911 fireworks calls, so as not to clog the communications system.

Brown acknowledged that it can be difficult to tell the difference between the sounds of legal and illegal fireworks, “but if it shakes the foundation, it’s obviously illegal.”

The danger of fire also is an annual concern around July 4. Trimbath isn’t alone in worrying about the potential damage to buildings and property caused by smoldering fireworks residue.

Island County Fire District 3 Chief Rusty Palmer said firefighters have responded in the past to calls about roof and brush fires and other damage caused by burning aerial fireworks. He urged concerned residents to keep their gutters clean, and have hoses ready.

There’s also the danger of injuries caused by fireworks, he added.

“We encourage people to enjoy their fireworks,” Palmer said. “Just be cautious.”

Brown, who also is the county fire marshal, said that because of the wet spring, no burn ban will go into effect on July 1, as it has in the past. He said fire officials don’t anticipate a ban this year before the middle of July.

Meanwhile, persons bringing fireworks to Whidbey Island face an additional hurdle — the Washington State Patrol’s canine unit.

Since 2004, dogs trained to sniff out a variety of explosive materials have been stationed at Puget Sound ferry holding lanes.

Sgt. Kerry Kintzley, who oversees the Patrol’s canine unit, said Thursday that the dogs have detected fireworks, both legal and illegal, in cars waiting for the ferries.

“It pops up from time to time,” Kintzley said. “Some people load up pretty good at the fireworks stands. There’s a good chance if you’re trying to bring them across, one of the dogs will find them.”

He said when a dog indicates the presence of explosives in a vehicle, the first thing the State Patrol does is try to locate the driver.

“If they have legal fireworks, they’re on their way,” Kintzley said. “If its illegal, they’re looking at being charged. They certainly will get their fireworks confiscated.”

Both Trimbath and Oxrieder said they have no quarrel with community fireworks displays, which must follow stringent safety regulations and require permits.

Trimbath, a photographer who has lived at Sandy Hook for three years, said his biggest concern, besides the noise, is the incoming aerial fireworks from areas surrounding his house.

“I have a propane tank in the back yard,” he said. “It’s not a safe feeling.”

Oxrieder said similar problems with fireworks occurred in her former Fox Spit neighborhood, but they were dialed back somewhat by community consensus. That was a much smaller neighborhood than her current one, however.

“I hate to wish for rain, especially for the holiday weekend,” Oxrieder said. “But I’ve found myself hoping for rain.”