Residents of Lompoc will be allowed to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks once again this year. In a 3-2 vote, the City Council voted against banning the sale and use of “safe and sane” fireworks—which are typically fireworks that don’t fly or explode.
During a joint session between the City Council and the Public Safety Commission on the evening of Jan. 6, the debate raged about whether to reinstate a ban lifted in 2012. Lompoc’s Fire Chief Kurt Lapitow and Police Chief Pat Walsh both recommended that the city ban the use of fireworks due to safety issues. One of their main concerns was that it would be hard to tell between legal and illegal fireworks, noting that the illegal kind are commonly brought in from outside city limits. Another concern they expressed was the number of emergency personnel responding to the high volume of calls made to dispatch from worried citizens.
Council member DeWayne Holmdahl voted for the ban. Just before his vote, he spoke at length about dry weather combined with the risks of lighting off fireworks during the summer. Mayor Bob Lingl also voted to reinstate the ban.
Discussion between the police chief and Councilmember Dirk Starbuck briefly focused on whether safe and sane fireworks are legal in Portland, Ore., where the chief was formerly employed.
Chief Walsh noted that they are, but added that it rains more in Oregon than in Lompoc.
Lompoc’s citizens spoke on the item during public comment, expressing opinions both for and against the proposed ban. One concern was that out-of-control fireworks could start house fires. But those who spoke out against the restriction said that a ban on fireworks would be “un-American” and like “Germany without beer.”
This article appears in Jan 15-22, 2015.