Editorial
Fireworks permitting is making a difference

This Fourth of July provided more evidence that a new fireworks permitting system is making a difference.

Does that mean we should settle for something less than a total ban on fireworks? The jury is still out on that.

But Honolulu Fire Department statistics show total fireworks-related incidents this July 4 were 17, compared to 37 the year before and 30 the year before that. In other words, the number of incidents has been cut in half since the system went into effect on July 15, 2000; and it's hard to explain that improvement without it.

It's still 17 incidents too many, of course. Fireworks-related brush and rubbish fires are costly, dangerous and totally unnecessary.

The new system also appears to have put a substantial dent in the amount of smoke and air pollution that have plagued O'ahu on New Year's and the Fourth holidays. Air-monitoring stations at six locations this past New Year's found the level of smoke particles in the air to be well below the state's legal limits in all but one location.

Anecdotally, illegal aerial fireworks seemed much less in evidence than in previous Fourth of July holidays. The acid test, however, will come this next New Year's, when Islanders have really gone hog-wild in past years.

This past New Year's resulted in a fatality and three major structure fires. That's unacceptable.

Still, this Fourth showed substantial improvement. It indicates that sensible laws, accompanied by the right kind of enforcement, can make a difference.