fired up over fireworks
I'm interested in organizing along with others who dislike these fireworks extravaganzas. I'd like to see these incredibly noisy events limited as much as possible and also to receive some sort of advance notification about when they're going to take place.
Earlier this summer I wrote to Ms. Maxwell's office..." Read More
(editor's note: I had the good fortune of talking to andy who runs the prospect heights neighborhood blog, and picked up some tips. As you can see from this post, I'm blatantly stealing ideas from his site)
15 Comments:
You have got to be kidding, folks. You're complaining about fireworks, and an international competition at that? I live in the Civic Center and this weekend within two blocks we have had 100,000+ noisy people for the antiwar march, another 100,000+ noisy people for the Love Parade, and tomorrow there's going to be god knows how many hundreds of thousands of people for the Folsom Street Fair.
It's part of the fun of living in a city. Take advantage of it. And by the way, both the antiwar march and the Love Parade were both totally charming, possibly because the weather was so amazingly beautiful today.
Next time there's a fireworks competition, set up a neighborhood party to watch the things and put it on the blog. And definitely invite me.
Nice job! Go forth, Grasshopper!
SFMike, the fact is, I mostly want advance notification of fireworks events. Then we can give the animals a tranquilizer or go for a ride to the beach or something else. For instance, you knew well in advance about the War Protest and you know when the Folsom Street Fair will be held next year. My neighborr across the street spent a lot of time on Friday night doing an internet search for what the pyrotechnics were, and she couldn't find out.
Ed
My kids LOVE the fireworks!!! Though it would be nice to just know everytime they happen, as they really push the bedtime back ;-)
The fireworks were OUTSTANDING and a real thrill, better than any of the usual municipal 4th of July Fireworks. I know me and my neighbors, most with DOGS and KIDS got a kick out of them too, because we were all oooing and ahhing together. Indeed, though it wasn't a "neighborhood activity" as such, it had the effect of getting people together who ordinarily don't see each other as much as they would like to (and need to in order to keep the community strong and safe).
I'm sorry that you and your dogs are not fans, but I think your suggestions would set a very bad precedent and allow a small minority to weild a veto over activities that make our city so special and fun.
I think we are so BLESSED to be able to see the fireworks from our hill!!! Look on the bright side, you pretty much just have to look out your window or go into the street to see an amazing display that some people RARELY experience but once a year!
annymous wrote: "Look on the bright side, you pretty much just have to look out your window or go into the street to see an amazing display that some people RARELY experience but once a year!"
I'm curious as to how many times a year I'm lucky enough to see and hear the fireworks, so I'm going to give a call down to the woman who issues the fireworks permits. (I think her name is Barbara Rooney and that you can get a permit from her for $90.) I'm guessing that between the Giants, special events at the ballpark such as concerts, the 4th of July and other recognized holidays, the aptly named KABOOM events sponsored by KFOG, and of course the unusual American Pyrotechnic Association convention, that we've had fireworks on an average of more than once a month for the last 18 months. But that's just a guess, so I'll try to find out the real answer.
As I said, I don't really want the fireworks to be stopped. I'm more interested in advance notice and, if possible, some limit on the concussive aspect of the display. I wonder: would people who like fireworks still enjoy them if they were quieter?
Ed
I loved the fireworks, and so did every I spoke to about it. Advance notice is nice, but how would they go about doing it? Polluting the streets with flyers? I heard announcements on the radio. I also happened to read about it on Metroblogging, which provided a link. On my way to work on Friday night and exiting onto Sixth street I called a friend to tell him what he's missing by moving away from SF, and I noted that driving on 280N was a little difficult with such a beautiful distraction, and then BAM! A car slammed into another going the other direction. Anyone see Shaun of the Dead?
We also love the fireworks!! We get a nice view from our balcony. I also think we're lucky. Why the advance notice ? Can't one just lookup the SBC Park calendar ???
poolshark
fundamentally, it seems a fireworks fan's rights to enjoy fireworks stop when they begin to intrude on a silence-lover's rights for peace and quiet.
I think fireworks are great, and i enjoy them very much. It makes us feel fortunate to live in an urban area where we can actually enjoy the event from the comfort of our lliving room.
I have a 3 month old baby, so I understand why some people may be bothered by it. Fortunately, his bedroom is in the back of the house where the noise is minimal.
The point is, I see both sides and I don't think either is more right than the other. Having advance notice is nice, of course, but part of the enjoyment of fireworks, at least for me, is the surprise element. I don't know, maybe I wouldn't think that way if it wakes up my baby and he refuses to sleep after that...
After a week of talking to folks and of reading the posts on the blog, it seems people are about evenly divided on this issue ("evenly divided" seems to be a national state-of-being these days).
Most people seem to agree that advance notice would be reasonable; in talking to the Fire Dept., I learned that some neighborhoods do, in fact, get advance notice of noisy events; the neighborhood around the ballpark is not one of them though. I was also told that somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 pyrotechnic permits a year are issued by the Fire Dept., and rarely is anyone refused.
At any rate, I'm circulating a petition now that should respect the desires of most people, those who like and those who do not like fireworks and those who are neutral on the subject, and if anyone is interested in reading it, there's a copy down at Christopher's Books. It should respect the desires of everyone except those who want to be woken without warning in the middle of the night for events like "A Reenactment of the Bombing of Baghdad, 1991."
Ed
Couldn't there be an automated list-serve for announcing impending fireworks displays? I'd love to know so I wouldn't miss them! Unfortunately where I live in Dogpatch doesn't have a view, only the sounds, but I suppose that's better than nothing.
One of the nicest things about our city is the the free, or nearly free, entertainment provided by event producers, including all those mentioned in these blogs. Having lived here for 22 years, I was pleasantly surprised at the obvious increase in fireworks displays, especially from Pacbell Park. I find them compelling and beautiful, and to understand the historical significance of such displays (PBS had a fascinating program on the subject), would probably add weight to the argument for, rather than against them.
The many dogs in my neighborhood also bark when the explosions manage to reach my area of Pohill, but they don't seem anymore stressed than when they are working to keep passerbys out. Fireworks are usually displayed right after sunset, so I can't see why anyone would complain about the noise keeping them and theirs awake.
As far as the noise is concerned, our recent visit from the Blue Angels generated much more fright and dismay than any fireworks display has in recent history.
I think an automatic email alert notification from Pacbell etal would be helpful for anyone wishing to participate, and it would have the added advantage of increasing consumer awareness. Of course, it would be helpful to include a list of polite suggestions on what to do for the faint of heart, and noise sensitive.
Filing petitions has always struck me as a shortsighted path to democracy. You don't need a government to get your point across to offending neighbors and businesses. What happened to the polite phone call/email? From the blogs listed here, your claim to have parity of opinion, and yet I see more supporting fireworks than your suggested action of suppressing them.
Have you ever been the subject of a petition? If you can't fathom why I would ask, you haven't been humbled by public opinion, and you wouldn't understand why we are now SWAMPED with petitions everytime we try to shop at Safeway or in Noe Valley. Petitions are for people who have exhausted all other options for resonable response to their grievances. It seems to me you've had several valid solutions suggested among these blogs alone, but if that is still not enough, I'd highly suggest you go hat-in-hand to where you should've started, City Hall.
Good luck, I know I will definitely NOT be signing your petition until I hear a cogent argument, and not NIMBY whining.
Hi anonymous.... you are right that on this Comments page, the pro-fireworks posts are in the majority. However, on the message board thread, the opinion is more evenly divided.
I've collected about 125 signatures without much trouble and if I were conducting a really organized petition-drive I have no doubt I could collect ten times that number. As I mentioned in earlier posts, many signers of the petition are folks who enjoy fireworks or are "not bothered" by them. The petition is not a witch-hunt, it is simply a concsciousness-raising item for consideration by the city and by our board of supervisors. As the system now seems to work, there is no limit to the number of pyrotechnic permits issued. That means if Organization A applies for a permit on Monday, Organization B applies for a permit on Tuesday, and so on, you can have fireworks every night of the week. As a matter of fact, through the past weekend, we've had fireworks maybe 5 or 6 nights out of the past two weeks. That's a LOT of fireworks, I think anyone would agree, whether or not they enjoyed the beautiful displays.
To reiterate, the petition I am circulating is not "out to get" anyone. It is simply a request to consider various aspects of the effects that these exhibits have on neighborhoods. And while they're at it, maybe the supervisors will also discuss other noise issues, such as the one you brought up, the Blue Angels.
Finally, Anonymous, I would like to suggest that 1) simply because you have not observed people and animals having real problems with the noise of fireworks displays, does not mean that these problems do not exist, and 2) there is nothing wrong with being a NIMBY.... :-)
Ed
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