Council shelves fireworks measure

The City Council Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee on Tuesday deferred a bill allowing sparklers and fountains on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July.

Executive Matters Chairman Trevor Ozawa said the deferral allows Council members to study the issue further.

Introduced by members Ikaika Anderson and Ann Kobayashi, Bill 5 allows sparklers and fountains to join common firecrackers as the only fireworks available during the two holidays.

Honolulu police and fire officials continued to express strong opposition to relaxing the city fireworks ordinance, citing statistics showing emergency room visits on both holidays have fallen noticeably since the firecrackers-only law went into effect in 2012.