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It’s the week between Christmas and New Year’s, which means many Oahu neighborhoods are hearing occasional explosions despite laws prohibiting the use of fireworks outside a few hours surrounding New Year’s Eve.
Firecracker permits on Oahu are down this year compared with 2021 — 13,679 permits vs. more than 20,000 sold last year — and local officials aren’t sure what caused this year’s drop.
But it has led to a fair amount of speculation — and little confidence that pets and those sensitive to fireworks will experience any relief from the onslaught of cracks, pops and explosions that traditionally welcome the new year in Hawaii.
The dip in permits sold this year isn’t without precedent. In 2020, only 13,944 permits were sold by the end of the year. There were 17,804 permits issued in 2019, 17,676 in 2018 and 20,951 in 2017, so the number of permits can fluctuate.
The low number of permits issued in 2020 came in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down the entire state’s economy, resulting in high unemployment following the abrupt halt in the state’s tourism industry.
The pandemic affected the supply chain and limited the supply of fireworks available that year.
Last year, as the world returned to normal, there was an increased demand for fireworks, but supply was still a problem, as the production of firecrackers was down, Honolulu Fire Department officials said.
“Last year the consumers didn’t have enough supply to purchase. They had a permit, but they ran out (of firecrackers),” said HFD Acting Battalion Chief Malcolm Medrano. “This year it’s a different problem: vendors have way more supply.”
Dino Alexakos, owner of Pacific Fireworks, said some people might still be under the impression that supply is low, which might have led to the decision against getting permits this year.
“I had a customer come in here and he was looking around, and … he says, ‘I bought two (permits) last year, they ran out of fireworks so I didn’t get to use them, so I didn’t buy (a permit) this year,” Alexakos said Wednesday afternoon from his store at Kapalama Shopping Center along Dillingham Boulevard.
Alexakos’ current supply is about eight times more than it was at this point last year. He closed up shop early last year because of the high demand, but he’s not sure he’ll sell his whole inventory this year.
It’s also possible that nationwide inflation is exacerbating the already high cost of living in Hawaii and is a factor in the decision against purchasing firecrackers, Medrano said.
Illegal fireworks are far more expensive now than even a decade ago, Ewa Neighborhood Board Chair Mitchell Tynanes said, but some still find it more palatable than the hassle of buying and picking up permits, buying firecrackers and setting them off legally within narrow windows of time.
Tynanes said he used to buy firecrackers, as many do in the Ewa area, which is among the most active places on the island for private firecracker activity during New Year’s celebrations.
Dec. 21 was the last day to buy Oahu’s exclusively online firecracker permits, and each permit, according to HFD, allows for a “one-time purchase of up to 5,000 firecrackers,” which usually isn’t enough for a New Year’s celebration.
Each permit is $25, and some people have to buy several permits to get enough firecrackers for their needs.
Monday was the first day permit holders could buy firecrackers on Oahu, and sales end at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Permitted firecrackers can only be set off from 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
Some people might be more inclined to illegally buy firecrackers — and banned fireworks — at higher prices than legally buy and pick up multiple, nonrefundable permits so they can buy cheaper firecrackers that are more limited in selection.
“You can keep buying as many permits as you like … but you might as well buy it one time, pay the difference and buy as much as you like,” Tynanes said.
There are also other explosives that can be bought that don’t require permits at all, he added.
Additionally, it’s not as if local law enforcement can crack down on most of the island illegally setting off fireworks, so the risk of punishment is low.
Whatever the reason for fewer firecracker permits being sold this year, local officials and stakeholders are not expecting a quieter New Year’s celebration.
The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation will close Puuloa Beach Park in Ewa Beach from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday in response to the use of illegal fireworks at the beach and the possibility that it’ll be a hub for them during New Year’s celebrations.
It’s not the only park where illegal fireworks are set off, but it’s difficult for law enforcement to access when busy, and the city has received complaints about illegal firework use there outside of designated times.
Hawaiian Humane Society officials are also preparing for more of the same stress to pets this year. New Year’s celebrations are especially stressful for pets, which often are more sensitive than people to the sounds of fireworks, which can scare animals from their homes.
“It’s a really, really stressful time, and what people don’t realize is that fireworks are loud for us, but for dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, their hearing is so much more acute,” said Brandy Shimabukuro, manager of communications for the humane society.
Anecdotally, there has been more illegal use of fireworks this year, Shimabukuro said. The shelter has been over capacity since October, and Shimabukuro offered a few suggestions to help pets.
One includes setting up a place within the home that’s sheltered from the noise so pets feel safe.
Because the shelter is full, the humane society is also asking for the public’s assistance. Shimabukuro advises those who find lost pets to contact them but to also hold on to them, if possible, which helps alleviate the stress on the shelter.
“If you do find a lost pet and you have the ability to hold on to them for a bit, you can file a found pet report with the humane society,” she said. “If you’re able to hold on to them while we’re in the process of contacting the owner so we can re-home them, we highly recommend that.”
She also said that now is a good time for those interested to participate in its new Couch Crashers short-term foster program, which bypasses the training involved in normal foster training situations but allows a test run for prospective foster parents and animals to get a feel for how each will live in a longer-term foster situation.
The program also helps alleviate the crowding at the humane society.
The use of firecrackers and the regulations around them is an ongoing issue in Hawaii, with advocates of animals and people sensitive to the noise sometimes butting heads with those who view their use as a long-standing tradition for locals.
“I understand what they’re talking about — PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), their animals, people with asthma, my family has all of that … but they’re trying to restrict things for people who want to legally celebrate bringing in the new year,” Tynanes said.
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