Travis County Commissioners Court
December 13, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 2
Item number 2, consider and take appropriate action on the regulation of fireworks in unincorporated Travis County.
>> the December fireworks season starts December the 20th.
fireworks, if committee will be available for consumer sale on December 20th this year and that will go through midnight on January 1st.
to be able to restrict fireworks, there are certain conditions that must exist.
currently, and looking at historical data for Travis County, when Travis County is a running drought index of 350 to 400, the number of fires, number of calls for response by the fire departments for outdoor fires does increase slightly, but it is not typically when we're in this rain, just not to the paint that it's not at least manageable by the fire services.
some years, I think we only have about three years to go by, some of them the number of calls were up -- there were only eight calls on the highest day.
the highest -- eight calls on the highest low day.
but one time there were as many as 25 calls per service during a day during the fireworks season.
so I think it's manageable.
it's quite likely there will be a few small fires, but with our current conditions fires do not spread very quick limit quickly.my recommendation, we kw we're going into the fireworks season, we'll do public service announcements that if people choose to use fireworks to do so carefully and obey all the rules and laws.
on but my recommendation is just to try to educate the public about being careful.
and recommend really people attend public displays if any people decide to have those rather than use consumer fireworks.
>> herschel, refresh my memory.
under the law we would be able to prohibit
>> [inaudible] in any case, is that true?
>> without a local disaster declaration, I believe that's correct.
the rockets with sticks, with fins, there is a possibility you might be able to do something about that.
>> so would it be your recommendation even though they are going to be available because we're not meeting the conditions for banning stick and fin fireworks, would it be your recommendation that consumers refrain from using those since they can go far from your yard and end up igniting what is still dried fuels on other people's property?
>> the use of the fireworks, the real danger is that if you start a fire, it goats out of control or it starts at a distance away from you that you are not able to take care of it or control it or that it starts on someone else's property and damages or destroys their property.
so if you are going to use consumer fireworks, it would be better that you use a firework that would limit the exposure.
>> have limited range.
>> limit the exposure to something very short distance that you would be able to control, if a fire did start.
>> thank you.
>> so what if anything are the persons involved in the fireworks industry saying?
>> the only contact I've had has been a request to know if we were going to issue permits for the stands, and my response to that was yes, if the court allows fireworks to be sold, we will issue permits and inspect those stands.
the other has been a request over a public display that was at night.
but that's the only contact that I have had from the fireworks industry.
>> okay.
>> judge, excuse me, there are a couple of legal issues that I would like to brief you on in executive session if that is okay with you.
>> I never pass up an opportunity to get sound legal advice, mr. Connally.
let's indicate our intention to take up item 2 in executive session under the consultation exception to the open meetings act at the appropriate time late this morning or this afternoon.
anything else?
>> that's it.
>> thank you very much.
>> judge, I just wanted to throw in a comment about this and again, I'm ronnie reeferseed, but it's about the fireworks industry that's not here today.
and they -- as a observe santiago citizen, I wanted to make note of the fact they are doing more than their share trying to be safe and cleaning up after themselves ann have nothing to do with the accidents in the fireworks industry that's really been kind of hurt recently with obviously the -- for good reason we can't do it, but give them a break.
they deserve our support.
thanks.
>> thank you.
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