The City Council on Monday revisited the question of how many days non-profits should be allowed to sell fireworks as a fundraiser, a topic that tends to create sparks of its own.
The issue has annually pitted those who say fireworks pose a serious fire risk, especially to Petaluma's historic downtown, against local non-profits, like the McDowell Drug Task Force, which rely on proceeds from fireworks sales around the Fourth of July.
Non-profits have said they're losing sales to nearby Rohnert Park, which allows five days of fireworks sales to Petaluma's four; the Fire Department has countered that increased days of sales equals increased fire risk.
After hearing last year from non-profits that said they were losing sales, the City Council asked staff for direction on whether or not it should increase its days of sales from four to five.
The Council decided Monday, based on the recommendation of the fire chief and fire marshal, to wait to make any changes - most likely until 2013, when the fire code is scheduled to be amended.
Changing the number of fireworks sales days for this season would require an amendment to the fire code, which would cost an estimated $9,000 in staff time.
Meanwhile, the fire chief and fire marshal's staff report found that there seemed to be little if any negative financial impact to fireworks sales. Representatives from the McDowell Drug Task Force maintained that they had seen a decline in sales.
"I'd rather hold the status quo than spend (nearly) $10,000 to change it when it doesn't appear to be doing any harm," said Mayor David Glass in a phone interview. He added that he still has concerns over fireworks being sold at all.
"We've been lucky that we haven't had any disasters to speak of," he said, referencing a fire that blazed through an apartment complex in Rohnert Park around the Fourth of July last year that was thought to be caused by bottle rockets.
Councilmember and former fire chief Chris Albertson echoed that concern as well. "I don't believe any fireworks are safe and sane," he said. "I believe they should be banned, but the community has said it doesn't want that."
Some councilmembers, like Gabe Kearney and new Vice Mayor Tiffany Ren?, said they'd be interested to see if other cities were considering changing their number of sales days or if sales days could be standardized across the county. Currently, Sebastopol allows seven days of sales, Rohnert Park five, and Petaluma and Cloverdale four.
The Sonoma County Fire Chief's Association is conducting a review of fireworks sales and use in cities around the county and is expected to give recommendations, including suggesting a standardized number of sales days. But that review is ongoing and not expected to be finished in time to make changes to this year's sales and use period, said Fire Chief Larry Anderson.
(Contact Jamie Hansen at jamie.hansen@argus courier.com)
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