Waving sparklers and other non-explosive fireworks in honor of Independence Day is now a thing of the past in Santa Barbara County following the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors June 17 decision to ban all fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county.
The board voted 4-1, with 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone dissenting, to pass an emergency ordinance making the possession, sale, and use of all fireworks illegal in areas within the county’s jurisdiction.
Introduced by the County Fire Marshal, the ordinance closes up a loophole in the state fire code that failed to include “safe and sane” fireworks in its language.
However, a handful of cities outside of the county’s jurisdiction, including Santa Maria, will still allow the use and sale of “safe and sane” fireworks, meaning the variety of fireworks that do not fly or explode.
In an interview with the Sun, Captain Eli Iskow, Public Information Officer for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said that the ban is especially pertinent in a state that is highly prone to large-scale fires.
“Historically, we are a very combustible county, but we’re not alone. The entire southern California region is at risk, and there are plenty of other counties and states that ban fireworks,” Iskow said.
And, with three fires currently plaguing northern California and the governor’s recent call for a state of drought, the state is especially vulnerable.
However, some members of the public are frustrated by the ban, including representatives from multiple local nonprofit organizations that rely on the sale of “safe and sane” fireworks to fund their programs.
Still, Iskow said that the reduction in funds is a small price to pay for improving fire safety measures.
“It’s unfortunate that [nonprofit organizations] will be impacted somewhat by the loss of sales from people outside of Santa Maria who want to buy fireworks,” he said. “But our mission is public safety; the protection of individuals, the community, property, and the environment.”
According to statistics from the 2008 National Fire Protection Association’s Fireworks Report, 9,200 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2006. And in 2005, an estimated 2,500 structure or vehicle fires were ignited by fireworks.
Also, the report found fireworks to be the riskiest consumer product in relation to deaths caused by exposure to fires. And school-age children are the most at risk to sustain fireworks-related injuries.
“If the ordinance was impacting the public’s ability to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday, we would consider it differently,” he said. “But there are many other public fireworks displays for the public to enjoy.”
Still, 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone remained opposed to the ordinance, citing the importance of “individual responsibility.”
The fireworks ban, he said, reminded him of the British oppression from which Americans are supposed to celebrate their freedom from, but he was unable to convince his fellow board members to vote against the ban.
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 3, 2008.