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SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns are used to seeing firework stands during the summer for the Independence Day and Pioneer Day holidays, but this year New York City's Times Square could have some competition locals who are excited to light fireworks to ring in the new year.
Fireworks can be shot off Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Aerial devices, also known as "multiple tube," "repeater" or "cake" fireworks can be sold in the state, and can travel as high as 150 feet into the air. -Utah Fire Marshal
Matt Shadle, who owns a fireworks stand in Sandy, told KSL News "The last time I sold fireworks for New Years was for Y2K, and Y2K it was unbelievable. I mean, they took everything I had by 10:00 in the morning. I have a suspicion it's going to be the same way again."
If that happens, state fire officials are concerned people aren't paying attention to the new rules.
"I think people were a little confused as to: ‘During the summer we bought them, we could discharge them," said Coy Porter, Utah's chief deputy fire marshal. But that's not the case for New Year holiday. Porter says Utahns can buy fireworks now, but can only light them on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
8 types of fireworks that are still illegal in Utah:
1. Fire crackers, M-80, cherry bombs or similar devices
2. Sky rocket
3. Missile-type rocket
4. Single shot or reloaded aerial shell
5. Aerial containing more than 500 grams of pyrotechnic composition
6. Bottle rocket
7. Roman candle
8. Rocket mounted on wire or stick
"That's a little confusing when we go from ‘as soon as you can buy them you can set them off' to just buying them a little bit early and then only discharging on those two days — which will be, this year, Saturday and Sunday," Porter said.
There's still the issue of firework safety: Just because it's wintertime doesn't mean there aren't dangers.
"People sometimes don't notice overhead power lines, they don't notice tree overhangs — especially now that we're selling aerials in the state. These devices sometimes go up 150 feet in the air," Porter said.
And while the new law does allow more freedom in some ways, there is a proposal under consideration that would put a few more constraints on fireworks usage, particularly in the summer. HB33 — amendments to the Fire Prevention and Fireworks Act — would limit the amount of time fireworks could be sold and discharged statewide.
The amendment would modify the current law to allow discharge of fireworks three days before and three days after July 4 and July 24, as well as the actual holidays themselves — seven days total per holiday. An additional change would set a statewide time standard for when fireworks could be discharged each day — from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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Written by Nkoyo Iyamba with contributions from Jasen Lee.
