It's that time of year again, when those who love to light fireworks buy and use them while another group runs for relief from the smoke. It's an annual, one-night battle with many neighborhoods looking like battle zones.
We often hear from those who like fireworks: "But it's only one night."
What they don't realize is that this one night compromises 175,000 children and adults in Hawaii who have lung disease; 175,000 people totals more than all those on Maui and Kauai combined. With our state population now approaching 1.3 million, 175,000 represents about 13.5 percent of us who struggle to breathe ... and one night can be deadly.
We like to think of ourselves as nice, good, people who take care of each other. Yet on New Year's Eve, this caring often gives way to entitlement. Many light fireworks with not even a passing thought about what the smoke drift may do to someone else's air quality, or even if the chemical-filled smoke might cause serious complications for someone nearby — a neighbor, a child, an elder.
But for the 175,000 kids and adults who are affected by this lack of thought, their daily fight for air will be made worse. Many will suffer in silence. Some will end up in an emergency room.
Please, skip the fireworks this year. Instead, put the money you would have spent on fireworks toward a healthy family activity — or create a learning experience for the children in your life and donate your fireworks dollars to your favorite nonprofit.
And let's consider passing stricter regulations on fireworks use. Many more will breathe easier.
-- Jean Evans, MPH, is executive director of the American Lung Association in Hawaii.
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Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha acknowledged the problem seems to be increasing and that "many complaints involve the discharge of exceptionally loud explosives that can shake homes and scare and disturb neighbors and pets."
But he urged the public to help catch the perpetrators. Unless the police witness the infraction, they need witnesses willing to testify, he said.
The culprits are usually gone by the time officers arrive, and witnesses are often unwilling to testify against their neighbors.
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Police officers issued 93 citations for the illegal use of fireworks this New Year's, an increase from 14 handed out over the same period in 2008.
Maj. Clayton Kau, Honolulu Police Department spokesman, said yesterday that officers responded to 1,860 complaints from Dec. 26 through Saturday, compared with 1,361 complaints in 2008.
Kau attributed the increase in the number of citations to "greater increase in public involvement and stepped-up enforcement," noting patrols were set up throughout the island specifically to catch people using illegal fireworks, such as aerials.
Kau renewed the Police Department's call for a total ban on consumer fireworks because responding to these calls "takes away from other emergencies and the damage to property they cause."
Kau said a total ban would mean that illegal aerial and other fireworks could not be concealed in shipping containers that are used to import legal fireworks.
State Rep. K. Mark Takai, who has introduced six bills to ban fireworks because he feels they are a serious health and safety hazard, said he will renew his efforts this legislative session for a statewide ban of all fireworks except for public displays or for religious or ceremonial occasions.
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I want to discuss the New Year's celebration, with the worst illegal fireworks I have ever experienced in my entire life here on Oahu. There is no such thing that fireworks is a local tradition or a religious tradition because it didn't start on New Year's Eve; in fact, those who celebrated began in October and continued every night till New Year's.
These individuals are outright terrorists — they have ruined every holiday: Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, especially Christmas Day and the New Year's Eve celebration, till 4 a.m. New Year's Day.
This type of illegal fireworks has no place in residential neighborhoods and should only be in designated areas for display. Do you know how it feels to be shelled for 10 hours? These explode like a big bomb and scare the hell out of babies, children, seniors and pets. You become shellshocked, and every loud sound scares your senses, rattles your nerves and you can't get a decent night's sleep.
It would be in the interest of public safety to ban all fireworks on Oahu before someone is injured or killed by dangerous loud explosive aerial fireworks — and make it happen before October.
Darryl Lum
Aiea
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K. Mark Takai hopes this is the year. The state lawmaker has tried six times to ban the use of personal fireworks in Hawaii, and each time he has been thwarted.
But as the explosive celebrations grow longer and louder - not confined to a few hours on New Year's Eve - Takai sees more support for a ban, rising in tandem with safety concerns over the proliferation of professional-grade aerial shows above densely populated urban areas and thundering concussive devices that rattle neighborhoods.
"I think people are just getting fed up," said Takai, a Democrat who represents Pearl City and Aiea.
He'll introduce a bill this month to ban fireworks except in public displays or for religious and ceremonial occasions.
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Fireworks killed my beloved dog
I wholeheartedly agree with the letter written by Stann W. Reiziss ("City and state abet terrorism," Star-Bulletin, Jan. 6). The city and state are sponsors of terrorism because they continue to collect money for something that has proven to be a major health and safety threat to its citizens. Did we have to wait for children to be severely burned? Why must we feel like we are in a war zone when people are detonating bombs that shake our homes? And this was not even New Year's Eve; it was Christmas night!
Mr. Reiziss spoke about the loss of his expensive ukulele, with which we can sympathize. My collateral damage was far worse: My beloved dog, who was my best friend for 10 years, died as a result of these huge explosions. She was so traumatized by the deafening noise, she broke free and was hit by a car. Will our political leaders wait until one of their children is burned or one of their beloved pets killed before they step up and help protect and serve the public?
Maura Grey
Kaneohe
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The letter from Bill Wong was as impressive as a flat tire ("Fireworks show draws support," Star-Bulletin, Jan. 7). When illegal homemade bombs shatter neighborhoods at night from Halloween to past New Year's, it's time to stop this insanity. Mr Wong might not remember about nine years ago, 81-year-old Lillian Herring was sleeping in her home and fireworks landed on her roof, which burned her house down and the poor woman died. Do you think that's entertainment?
Two children had third- degree burns and were in critical condition this year, not to mention many other injuries that were reported. Do you think it's fun that our firefighters are put in harm's way when they have to put out brush and house fires from senseless fireworks? If our lawmakers really care for the people's safety, they have to pass a total ban on fireworks.
Eugene Cordero
Pearl City
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