2002     6,102         

Note:  Fireworks permits are sold only at Satellite City Halls.  Vendors are not authorized to sell fireworks permits.  If the public is aware of any vendor selling permits, please report the activity to the Honolulu Fire Department's (HFD) Fire Prevention Bureau at 723-7162.

According to Chapter 132D, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), the use of aerial fireworks is prohibited unless the Fire Chief of the HFD issues a public display permit.

New Year's Safety Tips:

Fire Chief Kenneth G. Silva offers the following tips for a safe New Year's celebration:

• Fireworks can be dangerous, causing serious burns and eye injuries.  Consider "LEAVING FIREWORKS TO THE PROFESSIONALS!"  Enjoy one of the public fireworks displays on New Year's Eve. 
•  Always read and follow all warnings and instructions listed by the manufacturer for the safe use and handling of fireworks.
• Use only approved fireworks from a licensed retail outlet that posts their retail permit at their sales site.
• Ensure that other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
• Fireworks should be lit on a smooth, flat surface away from homes, dry leaves, and flammable materials.
• Never set off fireworks in metal or glass containers.
• A garden hose or a bucket of water should be readily available in the event of a fire.
• Young children and fireworks do not mix.  Never give fireworks, even sparklers, to young children.  Sparklers burn at temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Older children should only use fireworks under the direct supervision of an adult.

General Prohibitions:

It is unlawful to:

• Remove or extract pyrotechnic contents.
• Throw any ignited fireworks from a moving vehicle.
• Set off fireworks in the vicinity of schools, places of worship, health care facilities, and facilities for animals.
• Set off fireworks on public ways and in parks and cane fields.
• Set off, ignite, discharge, or otherwise cause to explode any fireworks within 500 feet from any hotel, which shall include the area of the City commonly known as Waikiki, particularly described as the district bounded by the Ala Wai Canal, Kapahulu Avenue, and along the ocean back to the entrance of the Ala Wai Canal.
• Offer for sale, sell, or give any fireworks to minors, and for any minor to possess, purchase, set off, ignite, or otherwise cause to explode any fireworks, except when parents or guardians may allow the minor to use fireworks under the immediate supervision and control of an adult.

Penalties: 

Any person importing aerial common fireworks or special fireworks into the State without first having obtained a license under Section 132D-7, HRS, shall be guilty of a Class C felony, punishable by a fine not to exceed $10,000, or imprisonment not to exceed five years, or both.

• Any person purchasing, possessing, setting off, igniting, or discharging aerial common fireworks or special fireworks without a valid permit, or storing, selling, or possessing aerial common fireworks or special fireworks without a valid license:  a) if the total weight of the aerial common fireworks or special fireworks is 25 pounds or more, shall be guilty of a class C felony, or b) if the total weight of the aerial common fireworks or special fireworks is less than 25 pounds, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
• Any person who transfers or sells aerial common fireworks or special fireworks to a person who does not have a valid permit shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
• Any person violating any other provision of Chapter 132D, HRS, shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000 for each violation.

Home Safety:

• This is a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors.  Buy batteries along with your New Year's celebration supplies and change the batteries on December 31.
• Every home should have a smoke detector inside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.  On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near living areas, such as family rooms, living rooms, or dens.
• Cooking vapors and steam will sometimes set off a smoke detector.  To correct this, move the detector away from the stove or shower. 
• Clean smoke detectors regularly, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Plan escape routes from your home.  Know at least two ways out of each room.  Go directly to a specified outside meeting place and then call the fire department.  Once you're out, stay out.  Never go back into a burning building.
• After holiday parties, check under and around sofa and chair cushions for smoldering cigarettes.  Provide lots of ashtrays during the party.
• Have an operable fire extinguisher readily available. 

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports on fireworks injuries may be obtained at www.cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/2004fwreport.pdf