For City Council Meeting [June 9, 2020]
TO: Honorable City Council
APPROVAL: Rod Foster, City Manager
FROM: Sean Grayson, Fire Chief
Mark Kling, Police Chief
Title
Request City Council to 1) Receive an Update on Fireworks Enforcement for 2020; 2) Adopt Resolution No. 7632 Ratifying the Director of Emergency Services Order Suspending the Sale, Use and Possession of Safe and Sane Fireworks in the City of Rialto, and; 3) Direct the City Clerk and Staff to Prepare a Measure for Public Vote on the November 3, 2020 General Election Considering the Banning of All Fireworks in the City of Rialto.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
On May 26, 2020, the City Council directed that a presentation on fireworks enforcement be presented on the June 9, 2020, Council Agenda. On June 4, 2020, the City Manager, with the recommendation of the Police and Fire Chiefs, and serving as the Director of Emergency Services under Council Resolution 7600 declaring a local emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, issued an order Suspending the Sale, Use and Possession of Safe and Sane Fireworks in the City of Rialto. Consistent with the City of Rialto Municipal Code, the order of the Director of Emergency Services is brought to the City Council to affirm by resolution.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The impacts of all fireworks are profound throughout the region and within the City of Rialto:
According to the Fireworks Annual Report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are an average of 9,000 firework-related emergency room visits in the one-month period surrounding July 4 each year. There were at least eight fireworks-related deaths in 2017, including one fatality caused by sparklers. Children aged 10-14 years were most likely to go to the emergency room from firework injuries; the second most likely group was adults between 20-24 years old. The harm from fireworks ranges from minor injuries to loss of limbs and even death has been reported in Rialto.
The loud noises an...
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