Culver City Waiting for Fireworks Sales to Ignite; Opponents Smolder

Fireworks sales are slow so far this year in Culver City, where the question of whether to continue sales is on the November ballot.

Fred Brookins, who heads the Culver City operation for the Anaheim-based Pyrotronics Corp., said, however, that sales usually pick up on the 3rd and 4th of July, and he does not believe the controversial ballot measure will affect the city’s overall sales figures this year.

This could be the last year the state-approved fireworks are sold in Culver City, which has offered them for nearly half a century.

The measure was put on the Nov. 4 ballot by the council after members could not agree on whether Culver City should continue to be the only city on the Westside to sell fireworks.

Conflicting Opinions

Fireworks sales in Culver City are supported by residents who say they are upholding an American tradition on Independence Day. Veterans and other community service groups use proceeds from the sales to fund their activities.

Opponents say that fireworks sales cause safety hazards and create a nuisance for neighboring cities.

Sales got under way last Sunday at 10 fireworks stands marked by red-white-and-blue signs. Pyrotronics employees unloaded five semi-trailer trucks full of the state-approved “safe and sane” fireworks.

Brookins said that the firm sells about $500,000 worth of fireworks a year in Culver City. He said that sometimes on July 3rd or 4th, even a fully stocked fireworks stand can sell out in about 90 minutes.

Waiting for the Spurt

“Culver City has always been the place,” Brookins said. “The trick is to have enough merchandise so that when the rush comes you can meet it and meet it fast. We’re geared right at this particular moment to take advantage of the spurt that comes along.”

Brookins said that the profit in Culver City is usually about $100,000, half going to nonprofit community groups.

“I’ve had people come up to me and ask me how I could be against fireworks sold by service clubs,” said Gordon Pierson, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. “I ask how could they be involved in selling something that causes such problems.”

County fire officials said that last year, “safe and sane” fireworks were responsible 41 of 109 fireworks-related injuries and for 58 fires countywide.

‘Still Cause Fires’

“Legal or not, they still cause fires,” said Covina Fire Chief Carl Johnson, who is secretary of the California Fire Chiefs Assn.

“We expect an increase in fireworks-related fire and injuries this year,” Johnson said. “We’re going to see an increase this year for sure.”

To prevent such incidents, fire officials are urging residents to attend the area’s aerial fireworks displays. Large fireworks shows are scheduled for Friday night in Culver City, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey.

“There are places where families can go and have a totally enjoyable evening,” Pierson said.

“All of what I’ve seen with ‘safe and sane’ fireworks is a tremendous amount of smoke and a tremendous amount of hazards,” Pierson said. “A family that gets on the grass with a couple cases of beer and fireworks--that’s not a good combination.”

Thousands of out-of-town residents are expected to buy Star Spangled Salutes, California Candles, sparklers and other pyrotechnics to set off in their back yards or neighborhood streets.

While the use and sale of fireworks in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and the city and county of Los Angeles carry penalties of $1,000 fines and 6 months in jail, fire officials say that the enforcement job is so enormous that they merely confiscate the fireworks from users and rarely make arrests.