BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – For more than 40 years of Fourth of July celebrations, Stetforme Cockrell, of Cocoa, has reveled in many a home-based pyrotechnic display.
But in the grip of a dry, fire-fueling spell that Monday put the mean drought index at 547 on a scale of 800, a countywide ban on fireworks and open burning could put a damper on backyard Brevard parties, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported.
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The ban, ordered Friday by the board of county commissioners, applies throughout Brevard's unincorporated and incorporated areas. It doesn't affect authorized public displays, state-permitted burns or the sale of fireworks allowed by state law -- which, though popular, aren't legal for use except under certain conditions, such as scaring birds away from crops or fish hatcheries.
Local public safety authorities said the ban, similar to those in 21 other Florida counties as of Monday, is necessary during parched periods. It's especially needed, they added, since the state fireworks law is confusing and largely ignored by buyers. Customers sign waivers saying they won't use fireworks for anything other than legal purposes, but then do so, officials said.
Cockrell shopped Monday at the Sky King Fireworks store in Cocoa. He said while he wouldn't want to see fires started, overall he's OK with the use of small home fireworks, monitored by adults.
"They shouldn't allow big, heavy types of fireworks in neighborhoods, but the Fourth of July is supposed to be about independence," he said. "It's something nice families can do to celebrate being in America."
But Palm Bay Fire Marshal Mike Couture said while it's legal to buy fireworks that leave the ground or explode by signing a waiver, "the minute you light them, it's illegal. That's what people don't understand."
Fire officials "absolutely" investigate and sometimes charges have been pressed over fireworks incidents, some of which caused blazes, Couture said.
"We've had fires started by kids who've dealt with fireworks. ...We try to teach them what the consequences are and how their parents will have to pay restitution for somebody's damaged roof or trampoline."
As for the drought watch, Capt. Ryan Sumlin of Brevard County Fire-Rescue said the Keetch-Byram Drought Index reflects an average of the entire county. A mean KBDI of 547 Monday meant a 5.47-inch water deficit in the top 32 inches of soil.
"There are places in this county that were over 700, and that's where our concern is," Sumlin said.
"The north end of Brevard is probably better off because of 1 to 2 inches of rain over the weekend, but when it's 600 or greater, anything can potentially be an ignition source in the woods. Fireworks. A cigarette butt. A car backfiring. Anything."
The co-owner of Sky King, which also has stores in Pennsylvania and Indiana, said while "everybody's concerned about the drought," he thinks most people know and understand about dry conditions.
Sometimes, Willie Micco said, he doesn't think adults are "given enough credit" for knowing the dangers involved with using fireworks. The Brevard ban has not affected sales to date, he said.
"This is not the first year a ban has happened, so I think they understand," Micco said. "But they've been shopping early for the Fourth of July, to take advantages of the specials . . . they're not buying these fireworks to use now. As long as the rains come, it will ease everybody's mind."
Enforcement of state and local laws regarding fireworks varies from city to city.
"It's not one of those things we're looking for -- it finds us," said Yvonne Martinez, Palm Bay Police Department spokeswoman. "If they're caught doing it, depending on how the officer responds, it can be a misdemeanor violation."
In Melbourne, complaints are addressed and fireworks sometimes confiscated, said Lt. Curtis Barger of the Melbourne Police Department.
"But in all fairness to people, some don't understand clearly what they're signing for," he said. "What it says is they'll be using it for purposes other than entertainment, like frightening off avian pests . . . and that doesn't apply to the usual homeowner. But with these drought conditions you have to be concerned about any type of ignition source."