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C. WORK SESSION: FIREWORKS REGULATIONS <br /> <br />Deputy Chief Joe Zaludek, Fire and Prevention Section, provided the staff report. He reviewed the <br />background of the issue, noting no formal action had been taken by the council on previous correspondence <br />from Fire and EMS staff. The deadline for submitting retail sales permit applications to the State Fire <br />Marshal’s Office for the current retail period scheduled run from June 23 through July 7, 2008, was April <br />15. Permitted retailers were currently well into their purchases for fireworks inventory and other <br />preparations for this season. The Eugene 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials were scheduled for June 27 <br />through July 6. There was a staffing conflict due to the extraordinary requirements for all area public <br />safety agencies for the trials, which meant there were not sufficient Fire or Police resources available to <br />sustain a concerted enforcement program for the 2008 Fourth of July fireworks season. Additionally, the <br />River Road patchwork of jurisdictions would create an enforcement and political challenge with neighbors <br />being subject to conflicting regulations for the same activity, and currently there was no interest in <br />fireworks ordinance changes on the part of Springfield. <br /> <br />Mr. Zaludek said in 2007, 32 permits were issued with the City for retail fireworks sales. The State Fire <br />Marshal’s Office documents fire works damage. In 2007, over $1 million in damage was caused by <br />fireworks and over 10,000 injuries were reported in the State of Oregon. Approximately 50 percent of <br />those injured were 15 years old and younger, and 95 percent of the injuries resulted from safe and sane <br />fireworks. <br /> <br />Mr. Zaludek asserted it would be very challenging to pursue changes to fireworks regulations other than <br />with a regional plan that addressed the entire area, similar to the Seattle and Flagstaff areas. A regional <br />plan was currently under consideration in Washington, D.C. <br /> <br />Mr. Clark thanked staff for the background information. He had chaired the Active 20-30 Club Freedom <br />Festival fireworks show held at Autzen Stadium for a number of years, and Alton Baker Park more <br />recently. He noted enforcement problems with illegal fireworks in his ward last year. He did not think the <br />problem was with legal fireworks, but rather an enforcement problem with illegal fireworks. <br /> <br />Mr. Pryor asked if statistics were available for complaints related to legal versus illegal fireworks. <br />Anecdotally, the vast majority of complaints he received were related to big, loud, explosive, illegal <br />fireworks that theoretically could not be purchased legally in Oregon. He was also concerned that at this <br />late date, vendors had purchased their inventories in preparation for sale, and any action by the council at <br />this point could create an enormous financial burden in an a area that was not the basis for the complaint. <br />He concurred with Mr. Clark that the issue was an enforcement issue rather than a sale issue. Mr. Pryor <br />further expressed concern about the length of time fireworks resonate throughout the community and <br />wished to see some effort to regulate this time. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz returned at 1:25 p.m. <br /> <br />Mr. Zaludek opined a majority of complaints result from illegal fireworks. There is concern with the use of <br />fireworks and the potential for a fire in the south hills or interface areas that could expand to other homes. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy inquired about the types of enforcement that occurred around the Fourth of July. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 27, 2008 Page 11 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />