Editor’s note: Ralph’s and Larry’s names were changed to protect their identities.
A call comes in at 11 p.m. on Thursday night. I answered the phone. It’s Larry and he said he’s got the stuff: a trunk full of mortars he acquired from a source just across the Nevada-California border.
I make the hour-long trek to a house located in a rural area of North Santa Barbara County where I met Larry and his friend Ralph, two guys who were kind enough to trust me and allow me to see their secret stash of illegal fireworks. After collectively pounding a few beers and some shots of whiskey, Larry decided to launch a couple of mortars.
In California, fireworks like Larry’s are banned, however the state allows for fireworks with the “safe and sane” designation—essentially ones that don’t explode or shoot into the air—but only in cities that allow them.
In that respect, California is one of only 16 states in the country that allow safe and sane fireworks. And Santa Maria is one of the hundreds of cities in the state, and one of three in the entire county—including Lompoc and Guadalupe—that allow them, but only under extremely strict conditions. And for good reason; the state is one giant tinderbox waiting to erupt. It turns out that the most recent El Niño didn’t do jack in terms of bringing water, and the Golden State is entering its 16th year of drought-like conditions.
Yes, 16 years. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Oceanographer Bill Patzert explained to the Sun that technically the California drought began more than a decade and a half ago.
“The empirical evidence lies in the average rainfall, which has been 10 to 15 percent lower on average,” Patzert said.
And though the drought may not be the impetus, things are changing when it comes to the lighting of fireworks.
Following a new city ordinance passed in November 2015, the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) is stepping up enforcement to crack down on illegal fireworks in the city this July 4, and they’re looking for people just like Ralph and Larry.
A long tradition
The history of fireworks goes back thousands of years. According to Michael S. Russell, author of The Chemistry of Fireworks, something resembling modern day fireworks can be traced back to the Chinese as early as the eighth century with the discovery of a concoction of honey, sulfur, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate).
“Unbeknown to the ancients, their brew of honey, sulfur, and saltpetre [sic] was special that, on evaporation over heat, the contents would suddenly erupt into a wall of flame,” Russell wrote in his book published in 2000.
Within a couple of centuries, the Chinese were using gunpowder to propel crude forms of bottle rockets, according to Russell.
Fast-forward to now and fireworks are used for celebrations of all kinds. American University professor James Heintze traced the origins of the Fourth of July fireworks tradition to a massive celebration in Philadelphia one year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“The glorious Fourth of July was reiterated three times, accompanied with triple discharges of cannon and small arms and loud huzzas that resounded from street to street through the city,” according to an account Heintze discovered in the Virginia Gazette dated July 18, 1777. “The evening was closed with the ringing of bells, and at night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks, which began and concluded with 13 rockets on the commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated.”
In the U.S., fireworks are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). While the CPSC has general jurisdiction over what types of fireworks can be sold, the ATF regulates the explosive materials that compose fireworks.
“If you have a federal explosives license, or if you transfer or sell explosives, that’s regulated by the ATF,” Meredith Davis, the public information officer for the ATF in Los Angeles, told the Sun. “Once it’s manufactured into what is a commercially available product, that’s not anything we regulate.
“If you are manufacturing fireworks that contain more than what the state allows, that’s an explosive,” Davis said.
The American Pyrotechnic Association maintains a database on state fireworks laws. As of April 2015, 47 states plus the District of Columbia, allow some or all types of consumer fireworks—Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, and Vermont only allow wire or wood stick sparklers and other “novelty” items). Three states—Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Jersey—ban consumer fireworks all together. Sixteen states allow safe and sane fireworks.
Being that they’re essentially made from the same stuff as a bomb, fireworks can be dangerous. A 2014 report by the CPSC states that an estimated 10,500 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries in U.S. emergency rooms. Fireworks killed 11 people in non-occupational incidents that year, with four of them dying in house fires.
Fireworks can also have psychological impacts. Not just for humans, but for pets as well.
Pets and PTSD
The 2015 fireworks season was one that Santa Maria City Manager Rick Haydon described as one of the worst he’s seen in California in recent years. It spawned the formation of a grassroots campaign spearheaded by several pet owners in Santa Maria who wanted to stop the flow of illegal fireworks into the city.
Libby Walling, a board member with the Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation, told the Sun that shelters were overwhelmed with lost pets following last year’s fireworks celebrations. Walling said the pets ran from their homes—with some breaking through screen doors—trying to escape the booms and blasts of fireworks.
“They’re more sensitive to sound, but they don’t understand it and they don’t know where it’s coming from,” Walling said, adding several pets were killed by oncoming traffic as they ran frantically through the streets. “It was much worse last year than it was in the past.”
Walling said that soon after the city meetings she and her colleagues attended in an attempt to stop illegal fireworks, combat veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder began coming forward, claiming the loud sounds triggered painful flashbacks.
After several meetings with city leaders, the Santa Maria City Council passed a sweeping ordinance on Nov. 17, 2015, that included several provisions restricting the use of fireworks—both illegal and safe and sane—and providing extra enforcement tools for police.
The ordinance narrowed the time period safe and sane fireworks could be used to a 12-hour window from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July Fourth. Before, the fireworks could be used anytime during the seven-day sale period of legal fireworks that begins on June 28. Previously, sales ended at noon on July 5, but this year they end at 11 p.m. on July 4.
Under the ordinance, police have the power to issue fines of as much as $1,000—which they’ve been doing lately—and to arrest anyone they catch in the act of lighting off illegal fireworks. Those caught red-handed lighting legal ones outside of the 12-hour window face smaller fines, usually between $20 and $50, according to SMPD Sgt. Russ Mengel.
Permit fees to operate a safe and sane fireworks booth in the city also increased under the new law, from $183 to $500.
In addition to the fines, the law allows the city to collect reimbursement for storage and disposal of illegal fireworks. With so many changes—and penalties for non-compliance—the ordinance requires the city to inform its citizens of the new regulations.
Information campaign
Santa Maria is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to informing its residents of the new rules.
According to Santa Maria Public Information Officer Mark van de Kamp, the city is using several methods. Any city resident who gets a utility bill received two bilingual fliers, one in November and one in May, with a total of 21,000 fliers sent in each batch, van de Kamp said.
The city also paid for screen time at the city’s two movie theaters to blast public service announcements before every movie played. Similar announcements are run on the city’s public access cable TV channel, which is channel 23 for anyone with Comcast, as well as online on the city’s YouTube channel.
There are also posters in English and Spanish displayed at each fireworks booth, at all city facilities, and on city buses.
With 90,000 riders each month, van de Kamp said he expects the bus advertisement campaign to reach a good portion of the population.
“It’s a comprehensive campaign,” van de Kamp said, adding that a flier will also be included in each bag of fireworks sold at the fireworks booths.
Lastly, the city is giving out free signs (paid for by Santa Maria taxpayers) that state, in both English and Spanish, “Noise sensitive resident lives here.” Any city resident can pick one up; all you have to do is show up to city hall with your ID to prove that you live in the city.
Van de Kamp added that the city is working with animal services regarding noise sensitive pets.
“Some pets don’t tolerate fireworks well and will escape,” van de Kamp said, suggesting that pets be tagged and micro-chipped.
Van de Kamp also said owners can rent pet carriers for a small fee through animal services. An even better idea, he added, would be to possibly keep your pet in a safe environment and comfort them.
A “menace”
“They’re my menace this time of year,” SMPD Sgt. Mengel said about fireworks.
This year, Mengel is leading the task force to bust anyone caught using fireworks beyond what’s allowed.
Police are out in droves. At any given time, according to Mengel, there are 14 SMPD officers patrolling the streets. But on July Fourth, he added, there will be at least 30—possibly more—officers out and about looking for violators. It’s one of the heaviest patrol nights for the SMPD, Mengel said.
The task force isn’t paid for by any grant, but is already accounted for through the city’s general fund, which includes overtime for officers.
The period leading up to the Fourth of July is when the police start seeing illegal fireworks, Mengel said, adding that the department relies on information provided by spotters that keep an eye out for any fireworks popping off above the city’s skyline.
The task force is comprised of plain-clothes officers in unmarked cars that basically sit and wait in parts of the city for something to happen. Sometimes they’ll sit for hours and get nothing, Mengel said.
In once instance, officers waited in an area where they received a complaint, but nothing happened. It was only when they left that they received another call that someone had started lighting off fireworks again.
Even if the police don’t see you, all it takes is a neighbor or witness to get you in trouble. A third party citation process allows police to have two witnesses sign a complaint against another person if they’re seen lighting fireworks. But first police have to find them. Often they can’t. Sometimes they do.
To date, the SMPD has handed out three $1,000 citations: One on June 14, and then two more on June 22. In each instance, Mengel said a teenager was caught, but the parents were fined.
“You write enough $1,000 citations and people are going to think twice about doing that,” Mengel said. “A thousand dollars is a lot of money for anybody’s budget.”
Mengel added that in addition to people and pet injuries, houses in Santa Maria with wooden roofs are at risk of catching fire from aerial fireworks. New construction doesn’t carry the same risk, Mengel said, but he added that there are a handful of structures with wooden roofs in residential and commercial areas.
Streaks and sparkles
Mengel knows that there are dozens, perhaps hundreds of people in the city that have illegal fireworks. When the Fourth of July comes around, he knows that his officers won’t be able to catch to all of the violators. But that’s not going to stop officers from trying to get them, he said.
“It’s not something we’re going to be able to solve this year, but we will get to them eventually,” Mengel said.
Meanwhile, Larry drops a 2-inch diameter red mortar inside a black tube, lights the wick, and makes a run for the garage. Despite the rules and negative effects, it’s hard to not be impressed by the spectacle of a celebratory splash of light across the sky.
With a fizz, crackle, and then a swoosh, the mortar launches 100 feet into the air. With a loud “BOOM,” it explodes across the sky into a glorious display of multi-colored streaks and sparkles, and we giggle with delight.
Staff Writer David Minsky can be reached at dminsky@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2016.
