Independence Day in Juneau is always a memorable occasion. Annually, professional fireworks at midnight are just one event in a much larger celebration on the Fourth of July. And for most of us, they are a delight.
Personal fireworks, on the other hand, have become a source of increasing controversy in Juneau. Too many of these fireworks have gone well beyond the sparklers and firecrackers most of us grew up with, and many now pose a threat to the safety and well-being of not only the revelers, but also anyone nearby.
It appears the name of today’s fireworks game is, “The Louder the Better.” Each year, firework manufacturers find ways to make their fireworks louder and more impressive, and so do the people who use them. Consequently, many of today’s pyrotechnics are huge, loud and dangerous. Their use in residential areas and parks is a problem that distraught citizens bring up regularly.
Recently the Facebook group, Juneau Community Collective, did an informal poll of residents collecting about 650 responses. Of those polled, roughly 60 percent of respondents want fireworks only on a few holidays in neighborhoods, 20 percent want no fireworks in neighborhoods at all and 20 percent want no restrictions on neighborhood firework use.
The City and Borough Assembly members and the Juneau Police Department should tackle this safety problem without further delay. Disturbing the peace, traumatizing pets, upsetting veterans with PTSD and people with autism, to name only a few, should be a concern for the entire community. And those who suffer as a result of exploding fireworks should be able to know when and where they will be used.
Unfortunately, this problem will continue to get worse unless Juneau’s lawmakers take positive, enforceable action to correct it.
When the neighborhood fireworks noise problem was first called to the Assembly’s attention late in 2012, the consensus was to enforce the recently proposed noise ordinance — a $300 ticket for noise disturbances to the peace. Juneau police handed out about 25 noise violations in the two years after the ordinance was adopted. However, when it comes to fireworks, police cannot write a citation unless they actually see a person lighting a fuse. That has made the enforcement of the noise ordinance with respect to fireworks virtually impossible due to difficulties locating and identifying the offender.
Many Juneau residents are not only disturbed by neighborhood bombardments, but are also now wary of visiting public parks because they fear for their own safety and comfort, as well as for their loved ones. Parks are places all residents and visitors should be able to enjoy without the fear of being exposed to disturbing noise and other byproducts of fireworks. It is for these reasons our state and federal parks ban the use of fireworks year-round. CBJ should follow their lead.
Some disagree, arguing fireworks will “spread” to neighborhoods. Not so. Fireworks are already rife in neighborhoods and, in fact, the spread is in the other direction — into parks, not out of them. Anecdotal information on Facebook threads and emails sent to the Juneau Residents for Action on Fireworks group support this observation.
Juneau residents don’t want to have to organize Neighborhood Watch/informant systems or run out in their pajamas at midnight to see which inconsiderate neighbor down the block is causing the ruckus. Few want to rat out neighbors to police or avoid using parks due to disturbing explosions.
We want the Juneau Assembly to enact regulations with teeth that aim to correct some of the behaviors their previous inaction has allowed to become commonplace.
Critics against tougher rules worry police resources will be diverted in order to enforce fireworks regulations. In response, we challenge those critics to have faith. JPD dispatchers are trained professionals able to triage calls for service. Police response to serious crimes will not be diverted by a complaint about fireworks any more than they would be by complaints about illegal dumping of trash, barking dogs or illegal mufflers on vehicles. We trust JPD officers are quite capable of enforcing a fireworks ordinance, just as they enforce all ordinances. Furthermore, we want our fire marshal to continue to follow the safety advice of the National Fire Safety Association and support our existing ordinance prohibiting the sale of fireworks in Juneau.
In short, we want the City and Borough of Juneau to prohibit the possession and use of consumer fireworks in our public parks, and either prohibit or restrict their use in residential areas. That said, we understand compromise is often necessary. An acceptable ordinance could define dates, time, and location of any permitted exceptions.
If an exception to prohibition in residential areas is to be considered, the CBJ should either identify designated (non-residential) areas for the use of fireworks, or restrict their use in residential areas to specific times on July 3-4 only, which are traditional and generally accepted dates for the “celebratory” use of fireworks.
The current status quo for some residents to disturb their neighbors wherever, and whenever they feel the urge to explode fireworks must be addressed and corrected, and it is well-documented that the existing CBJ noise ordinance is incapable of doing so.
We need a real solution to our fireworks problem so that all Juneau families can look forward to and enjoy the holidays.
• Empire Readers’ Council editorials are written by members Joe Geldhof, Abby Lowell, Tom Rutecki, Lisa Weissler and Alex Wertheimer.
