SALT LAKE CITY — In many cities throughout Utah, it takes little more than looking around at night to see the effects of recent fireworks legislation.
In their first season since becoming legal, aerial or "cake" fireworks have staked their claim on the holiday skyline. During a safety demonstration Wednesday, Salt Lake Fire Marshal Martha Ellis said it's important that residents take these devices seriously.
"What matters to me is we continue to beat the safety drum," Ellis said.
The fire marshal hesitated to speculate on whether this fireworks season has resulted in more fires than usual, but it seems the potential worst-case fears that surrounded the arrival of aerial fireworks have not been realized.
"The valley is still standing," Ellis said.
The bill, HB266, was signed into law on May 4, legalizing fireworks that fly as high as 150 feet and extending the fireworks season to a full month between June 26 and July 26. The bill was designed to return lost revenue to the state as many fireworks enthusiasts made regular excursions to nearby Wyoming for their pyrotechnic purchases.
While recent weeks have seen some firework-related blazes, the biggest change for law enforcement officials this year may in fact be related to noise and other complaints.
Unified police detective Levi Hughes said the now-legal aerials have resulted in an increase of calls by people misunderstanding the new laws and intending to blow the whistle on their neighbors.
"It's been more of an educational year than in years past," he said.
Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communication Center officer Geana Randall said the center has received "tons" of noise complaints this year, prompting them to remind police agencies around the valley of Salt Lake County's noise ordinances.
"We have had an increase overall and that's been across the board," Randall said.
Ellis said these noise complaints are likely the product of the extended fireworks season. Up until this year, she said, Utahns have known what to expect and those residents who do not appreciate the noise have had an idea of what they must endure.
"All the sudden you change the playing field," Ellis said. "You also prolong the amount of time that the people who don't like them have to endure them. It just increases exponentially the amount of complaints."
Sandy police Capt. Kevin Thacker said complaints were noticeable enough to prompt city leaders to clarify their noise ordinance. Until recently, loud noises were prohibited between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. except for instances associated with a holiday. With Utahns now able to set off fireworks on July 4 and 14 alike, Thacker said the line became blurry on what was and was not legally permissible.
Sandy's ordinance now allows an extra hour on the day of the holiday itself, in this case July 4 and 24 only, which Thacker said will help with enforcement in the future.
"Next year it will be better for us," he said.
In South Jordan, signs were posted after Independence Day, reminding residents to use fireworks only during permitted hours. South Jordan police crime analyst Dorothy Johnson said she doesn't recall seeing similar signs in the past.
While one of the goals of the new law was to bolster sales in Utah, the effect hasn't seemed to detract from Wyoming. Shawn Wheeler, a showroom manager at Phantom Fireworks in Evanston, said her store has experienced a noticeable increase in sales, with many of her customers hailing from Utah.
"They're very open with it," Wheeler said of her Utah customers.
She said Evanston's retail stores offer a wider selection of products compared to the temporary tents and stands set up in Utah. Wide selection may be enough of a draw for some and transporting that selection across state lines is no longer a clandestine affair.
A spokesperson at nearby Jolly Jac's Fireworks would not comment on an increase or decrease in overall sales, but said the store is selling a lot of aerial fireworks to customers from many states, including Utah.
E-mail: benwood@desnews.com