City Council members Tuesday night said they want the city to rely heavily on a public awareness campaign to head off the number of illegal fireworks popping off in Longmont on and near the Fourth of July.
Councilors suggested reaching into schools and using local news and social media to emphasize the problems associated with the illegal use of fireworks. The state bans fireworks leaving the ground while on private property.
The city also wants to use electric street signs to alert residents about illegal fireworks, opening up a voluntary fireworks hotline to report violations and boost the fireworks show hosted by the Skyline Kiwanis, City Manager Harold Dominguez said.
“We want to be letting people know what is allowed and not allowed,” Dominguez said. “We want to take a targeted approach on how we are communicating the impact of illegal fireworks in the city.”
A more punitive approach such as a ban on all fireworks in the city is tough to enforce, officials said. Police have to rely on eyewitnesses to come forward or for officers to actually see an illegal display of fireworks, Deputy Police Chief Jeff Satur said.
“... People usually don’t shoot fireworks in front of us,” Satur said.
Persistent dry weather, however, may force the city to institute a ban. “We’re talking about a fire risk,” Councilor Shiquita Yarbrough said. “We need to look at that more closely … it’s a matter of life and death.”
The huge volume of exploded illegal fireworks and the sheer number of complaints has impacted the police department’s ability to respond to higher priority calls for service, Satur said.
From June 27 to July 11 in 2020, there were 3,869 fireworks calls and 810 other police calls for service, the staff report states. Only two tickets were issued.
In 2021 — during that same period — there were 4,041 fireworks calls to police and 470 calls for other services. Three tickets were issued, a city staff report states.
Dominguez said illegal fireworks have caused problems among those who have PTSD, veterans with PTSD, pets, seniors and those suffering from sleep disruptions.
The city’s public awareness campaign will emphasize the need to help those impacted by fireworks, Dominguez said.
Members of Protecting Our People & Property, or POP, — during a public invited to be heard portion of the council meeting — said people illegally using fireworks in the city need to be held accountable.
“They believe they are above the law,” Ramona Giroux told the council.
