A Ban Against Fireworks Should Be Countywide

The number of cities in Orange County that still allows so-called “safe and sane” fireworks has dwindled to seven this year. If the seven are truly interested in celebrating safety and saneness, they will follow the lead of the county and 21 other cities that have banned the sale and use of all fireworks, except for public displays under the direction of licensed experts.

Still holding out against the urgings of county grand juries, fire departments, safety officials and common sense are the cities of Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana and Westminster.

The issue is not one of patriotism. There are enough patriotic shows that include fireworks in the county each Independence Day to adequately honor our nation’s birth without burning down homes and injuring children in the process.

Nor is the issue really economic, as some of the holdout cities unwisely reason in the face of the misguided opposition that they receive from some civic and youth groups that sell fireworks as money-making projects. Some of the more enlightened youth groups and others are starting to realize that it makes little sense to work so hard for youth and then turn around and sell fireworks that have proven to be so dangerous to young people. There are other, safer ways to raise money.

The Boy Scouts of America understands that. The organization has abandoned fireworks sales and has given notice that it will revoke the charter of any troop that sells them. That should be a strong influence on others who still put financial gain over fire safety, which is the real issue.

As the current grand jury notes, and growing evidence confirms, banning all fireworks results in fewer injuries and fires. That includes the so-called “safe and sane “ fireworks, which are the only ones allowed by the state.

After fireworks were banned last year in the county’s unincorporated area, fireworks-related calls dropped and property damage totaled only $400 compared to more than $86,000 the previous year when fireworks were available.

And contrary to the claim of fireworks manufacturers, the grand jury found that where legal fireworks were outlawed, damage and injuries from illegal fireworks were reduced, too.

In the last decade, fireworks in Orange County have caused hundreds of fires, destroyed scores of homes and painfully maimed and injured many people. Those needless injuries and property losses could be reduced, and the use of fireworks better controlled, if the seven holdout cities joined all the other communities and counties in Southern California, and banned all fireworks, too.