A Boom In Illicit Fireworks Is Rattling Honolulu Pets And Annoying Residents… Honolulu banned fireworks except firecrackers on all but a few days a year in 2011, but it’s become “one of those laws no one enforces.”
The noisy nightmare of New Year’s seems to come earlier every year for 10-year-old husky Gigi.
Sporadic “bombs” have been dominating Oahu’s skies since September, according to Gigi’s owner Linda Vannatta. Her impression is backed up by dozens of accounts from Oahu residents, policymakers and law enforcement.
“If I don’t give Gigi medication and she hears those booms, she will literally pace back and forth for hours even after the noise is gone,” Vannatta said. “I can afford the medication for one night, but I have been giving it to her every Friday and Saturday night for several weeks now and it’s $20 a dose.”
The number of firework permits issued by the city was up 45% from last year, totaling 20,286 for 2021 — bringing in over $500,000 to the city for New Year’s permits alone, said Ted Muraoka, a Honolulu Fire Department fireworks inspector. In 2011, the city restricted fireworks other than firecrackers to only a few days a year — New Year’s, Chinese New Year, the Fourth of July and certain events such as weddings.
