Move to ease city’s ban on fireworks now a dud

A plan that would have allowed Oahu residents to set off fountain-type fireworks on New Year’s Eve and Day and Independence Day has fizzled.

Under Bill 5 (2014), Oahu residents would have been able to obtain $25 fireworks permits at satellite city halls that would have entitled them to buy up to 60 cylindrical or cone fountains, each containing a maximum of 100 grams of “pyrotechnic composition,” or explosive material.

The measure was deferred abruptly at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who had joined Councilman Ikaika Anderson in introducing the bill in January 2014, indicated after the meeting that the bill would not be heard again. This means the current ordinance will remain in place permitting only firecrackers.

“It was just such a small concession,” Kobayashi said of the bill, noting it would have included only a very small addition to the types of fireworks that would be allowed. The initial bill would have included sparklers among the allowable items, but they were taken out of the measure to make it more palatable to critics.

Council members maintained the proposal was not significant enough to change the ordinance, especially because the bill was opposed by both the Fire and Police departments, she said. “It’s kind of a lose-lose.”

Fireworks industry representatives say a 100-gram product would last about 20 seconds.

Thomas Berger, an attorney for TNT Fireworks, said Wednesday afternoon the Council’s decision to defer the bill came as a surprise.

The bill would have given residents the option to obtain small fountains legally, creating an alternative to more serious and dangerous items off the black market, he said.

“Demand for illegal, aerial fireworks on Oahu is stronger than ever,” Berger said. “The excessive amount of illegal aerials, which are not regulated or taxed, is a major public safety concern.”