Misguided Fireworks Measure

There is a measure on the Nov. 3 ballot in Westminster to repeal the city’s ban on the sale and discharge of fireworks. It’s there because residents in 1990 wisely voted to ban them, and that restriction cannot be removed without another vote.

Nothing really has changed. The reasons that residents enacted the restriction are as valid today as they were then, and the arguments for allowing the use of so-called safe-and-sane fireworks still deserve rejection.

In a wave of enlightenment from 1985 to 1990, the county and most cities, including Westminster, banned fireworks of all kinds. Today, they are permitted in only five of the county’s 31 cities.

So why return to the proven risks of injury and property damage? Some city officials and organizations promoting lifting of the ban are dusting off old arguments, saying fireworks “celebrate the birth of our great nation.” And an appeal is made to “provide funds for the nonprofit groups within the community that serve youth groups, churches and community support groups.” That’s the same old misguided patriotism and greed rejected by most residents in most communities throughout the county.

Doctors, firefighters, children’s advocates and many public officials consistently warn about the dangers of fireworks of all kinds, legal and illegal. State figures show that in 1997, legal and illegal fireworks caused almost equal numbers of injuries. And earlier studies show that where fireworks are outlawed, damage and injuries resulting from illegal use are reduced.

“We have seen a demonstrable decrease in injuries and fires related to fireworks activities in those cities that do not allow the sale of fireworks,” Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority reports.

There’s no good reason to return to the old dangers. There are enough patriotic celebrations and shows that include fireworks in the county each year to honor our nation’s birth without burning homes or maiming children in the process. And the more enlightened and innovative community groups have found safer ways to raise money than exposing the youths they work so hard to help to the dangers of fireworks.

The issue in Orange County shouldn’t be whether residents in Westminster should unwisely reverse their ban on fireworks, but how to encourage the five cities that still allow their use to outlaw them.