If you were one of the Oahu adults who purchased some of the 66 firecracker permits issued by the city for the Fourth of July and were hoping to pick up some firecrackers, you’re out of luck.
Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves said at a press conference Tuesday that not a single retailer is authorized to sell firecrackers for today’s Independence Day celebration.
“It’s a matter of supply and demand,” Neves said.
One vendor is authorized to sell to people who have permits to light firecrackers for religious or cultural purposes year-round, but that retailer made it clear it is not selling products for the Fourth of July, fire officials said.
“So whatever’s being used is something that may have been stored on your property, which we don’t recommend at all,” Neves said.
The Fire Department does not issue refunds for permits and warns consumers there’s no guarantee firecrackers will be available for purchase.
On Oahu, adults 18 and older may buy an unlimited number of $25 permits from the city. Each permit allows them to purchase and set off 5,000 individual firecrackers Opens in a new tab. The deadline to purchase permits is five days before an event.
Unlike firecrackers, fireworks — from aerials to sparklers — are illegal on Oahu.
This is the first time that no merchants were authorized to sell firecrackers for a holiday, but the low firecracker permit numbers on the island for Independence Day are not a new phenomenon.
Last year there was only one vendor selling firecrackers for the Fourth and only 36 firecracker permits issued, HFD spokesman Capt. Scot Seguirant said. In 2016, 161 permits were issued for use on Independence Day.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the stricter fireworks laws, allowing only permitted firecrackers, have been in place for nearly a decade now. “It took a while, but I think the public is changing how they use fireworks and it’s making a dramatic difference,” he said. “Hopefully, this is a sign of that and we’ll see over the years that there will be less and less.”
Caldwell praised the
Honolulu Police and Fire departments for cracking down on illegal aerials and other fireworks coming onto the island. Both departments have supported a complete ban on fireworks, including firecrackers.
While setting off firecrackers may have become passe for the Fourth, that’s not the case for New Year’s Eve. The number of firecracker permits issued has grown steadily each year since 2013, when 10,922 permits were issued Opens in a new tab. Fire officials said they sold 20,951 permits for New Year’s 2018, 3,800 more than the previous year.
Neves recommended those setting off fireworks only use approved products from licensed retail outlets; not point fireworks at any individuals, property or dry brush; use fireworks on flat surfaces and away from power lines; and keep a bucket of water or water hose handy.
No one under 18 is allowed to use fireworks of any kind, even under direct adult supervision.
