Citing fire risk, Petaluma bans fireworks

The city outlawed ‘safe and sane’ pyrotechnics, and proposed an alternative fundraiser for nonprofits.|

Fireworks Bans in Sonoma County:

Petaluma joins the following areas that have completely banned all fireworks:

- Cotati

- Healdsburg

- Santa Rosa

- Sonoma

- Unincorporated Sonoma County

- Windsor

“Safe and sane” fireworks are still allowed in:

- Cloverdale

- Rohnert Park

- Sebastopol

This year’s fourth of July holiday in Petaluma is guaranteed to look, and sound, entirely different than years past.

The city took its first step Monday in banning so-called “safe and sane” fireworks, following years of consideration, an issue pushed to the forefront recently by Mayor Teresa Barrett and a largely fire-weary community. Yet with Independence Day nearly four months away, the 13 local non-profits and youth organizations that sell fireworks are scrambling to find alternatives now that a major fundraising source is no longer permitted.

The ban covers state-sanctioned fireworks that are available for purchase at the kitschy kiosks that pop up on street corners for a few days before the holiday, including sparklers, fountains and poppers. Illegal fireworks outlawed by the state are primarily those that shoot into the air, explode or move around uncontrollably after ignited, such as bottle rockets, firecrackers and roman candles.

An ‘ongoing threat’

Calls for the ban have been rumbling for a decade, growing louder in the past few years after catastrophic wildfires in the county increased public awareness over fire risks and hazards. Although destructive wildfires like the Tubbs and Kincade fires were not sparked by fireworks, supporters of the ban argue the devices pose an unnecessary risk in a region beleaguered by an expanded fire season.

Fire Chief Leonard Thompson and Police Chief Ken Savano both endorsed the ban on fireworks, declaring their use a public safety risk that inhibit the ability to clamp down on illegal fireworks and eat into their departments’ limited staff resources.

“As a matter of safety, I don’t differentiate between illegal and consumer fireworks,” Thompson said. “Fireworks of all kinds represent an ongoing threat to the public and our community and has potential for catastrophic events, not only for property but injury as well.”

Other arguments supporting the ban listed loud sounds, waste, environmental impact and ability to mask illegal fireworks as reasons why the devices should no longer be used.

Police Chief Savano said the Petaluma Police Department received more than 280 calls regarding fireworks last year, although he said it’s difficult to know how many of those were for illegal fireworks.

The inability to differentiate between legal and illegal fireworks’ damage and injuries underscores questions of whether banning state-sanctioned devices will actually help law enforcement crack down on illegal devices, opponents said. Dennis Revell of Revell Communications, a public relations firm that works on behalf of TNT Fireworks, said the real problem is illegal fireworks.

Monday night’s decision marks a major win for Barrett, who named the fireworks ban as a top priority in 2020.

The city council adopted the ban in a 5-2 vote, ensuring that the only allowable fireworks going forward will be those launched at the annual professional pyrotechnic show at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds.

Barrett was in the minority when the proposed ban was last seriously discussed by the city council in 2018, unsuccessfully pushing the body to enact the ban that year. At the time, the council promised to revisit the ban after the fall 2018 election. New members D’Lynda Fischer and Kevin McDonnell joined Gabe Kearney, Dave King and the mayor in the Monday vote to outlaw the devices.

A few council members made their personal dislike of fireworks displays clear, referencing their distressed pets and experiences living in neighborhoods where legal and illegal fireworks were used.

“When I lived in Midtown on Payran, it was like Beirut in my backyard,” council member Kearney said. “I remember calling numerous times in 2018, I had video and photo of folks setting off fireworks. Some were safe and sane but they were on an eight-foot ladder, others were like mortars going up in the air.”

Loss of fundraising

The fireworks ban comes almost four months before the July 4 holiday, leading some to question whether the shift in policy leaves enough time for nonprofits to change their fundraising models. City staff reported the 13 nonprofits cleared to sell fireworks within Petaluma last year raised a combined $87,000.

“We have had an emphatic request from our fire chief and an emphatic request from our police chief to do this and I don’t think we should ignore those requests,” said councilman Dave King, who has historically voiced support for the ban. “The only reason to not do this is the nonprofits, but the history of this is that the city has been trying to wean nonprofits off the sale of fireworks for years.”

President of Petaluma Panthers Football and Cheer Gina Giomi said the yearly sale rakes in roughly $5,000 each year, which directly funds necessities like equipment, uniforms, field fees and rental spaces and allows the group to fund scholarships and safety devices.

“It’s super sad that the city is going to put a stop to an event that predominately helps youth programs, that they’re going to take away the ability for us to earn funds,” Giomi said. “I work in law enforcement so I understand the risks, but I think the city has done a really good job at managing those risks and this is just punishing the citizens, especially families.”

Besides an end of season dinner, the fireworks sale is the primary fundraising event that sustains the five teams all year long, including about 180 football players and up to 75 cheerleaders.

Pua Bredahl of Lokahi Outrigger Canoe Center has been selling fireworks to support her group’s activities since she was a child, which provides paddling experiences, races and exposure to Hawaiian culture. She asked council members to consider delaying the ban until 2021 to allow the nonprofits time to restructure their fundraising efforts and annual budgets. The suggestion was not addressed by the council before moving forward with the ban.

Rivertown Hoops

The council did directed staff to provide a one-time $30,000 donation to spread amongst the 13 nonprofits, which are looking to a new fundraising event co-sponsored by Petaluma People’s Services Center as a possible fundraising replacement.

The event, Rivertown Hoops, is set to take place every Fourth of July at the fairgrounds and will feature a pay-to-play three-on-three basketball tournament. Proceeds will go toward participating nonprofits, and are not limited to those groups that formerly used fireworks sales as a method of raising money.

“I think this is a good alternative,” said Petaluma People’s Services Center Executive Director Elece Hempel. “I know some will say they don’t want to do it, but at any time down the road they can participate. We think it can be a way for nonprofits to work in tandem together and raise money for the causes we all support.”

Giomi said her organization’s board members are currently working hard to try to get ahead of their expected financial losses, brainstorming their own fundraising efforts that could rake in needed funding.

Now that both “safe and sane” and illegal fireworks are no longer permitted for sale or use within Petaluma, Cloverdale, Sebastopol and Rohnert Park are the only remaining havens for fireworks-lovers in the county.

The city pushed a scheduled discussion on the enforcement and fine structure to an April city council meeting, after staff said they needed more time to review the language and make “tweaks” before presenting it for consideration.

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.)

Fireworks Bans in Sonoma County:

Petaluma joins the following areas that have completely banned all fireworks:

- Cotati

- Healdsburg

- Santa Rosa

- Sonoma

- Unincorporated Sonoma County

- Windsor

“Safe and sane” fireworks are still allowed in:

- Cloverdale

- Rohnert Park

- Sebastopol

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