City looks at solutions for nuisance fireworks
A report presented to the Eureka City Council detailed challenges in enforcing nuisance usage of fireworks in this city and measures to better report this activity.
In his report during the council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Eureka Police Captain Patrick O’Neill pointed to several factors making enforcement for fireworks violations difficult to crack down on.
The potential for several types of fireworks to travel over 100 yards, the ability for perpetrators to quickly get away and long reaction times linked to a regularly high volume of calls to city dispatchers make enforcement difficult.
The Eureka municipal code states fireworks are illegal in the Old Town area, Woodley Island. However, the city defaults back to California state code for enforcement purposes.
Dangerous fireworks are already illegal under the California Health and Safety code. However, the code does allow for fireworks deemed “safe and sane”. This term refers to devices that do not fly or explode, such as sparklers and snakes.
There was a notable increase of nuisance firework usage in the city, which has been a common grievance among Eureka residents. Data presented to the council shows a major increase in firework-related calls and complaints in 2020. It is believed a major increase in idle time is linked to COVID-19 precautions and is a factor in this jump in reports.
Concerns over fireworks mostly centered on damages to people and property and anxiety the loud noises might trigger in people experiencing stress, as well as pets, in the surrounding area where the explosions occur.
Notably, most months after March 2020 presented more calls than the respective month during the past two individual years. July remained the month with the most calls due to the permitted sale of fireworks from June 28 through July 6 for Fourth of July celebrations. July 2020 yielded 160 complaints, compared to 62 and 47 in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
During a regular council meeting held in August of last year, residents first asked the council to consider adopting an ordinance banning or limiting firework usage. As the request was not an item on the agenda, the council did not discuss the topic that night.
The report presented public educational announcements disseminated through social media, increased patrolling by police officers and Humboldt Bay Fire staff and online reporting tools as means to reduce illicit firework detonations.
The online reporting tool is currently being developed. O’Neill mentioned it would most likely take the shape of a fillable form with specific location and time fields. Online reporting would also allow for city dispatchers to field fewer calls related to these complaints, allowing them to better serve urgent and emergency calls.
Considerations on an outright firework prohibition were presented. Among these, it is listed that fireworks deemed dangerous were already illegal and that a ban would ultimately affect people purchasing these items legally. A ban can also affect church and non-profit groups which rely on sales of “safe and sane” fireworks as a fundraising tool.
O’Neill stated his agency will be holding the public accountable for these activities.