Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

New Year's Eve fireworks cause concerns

A proposed amendment to Clark County's fire code could turn the Strip's dazzling New Year's Eve fireworks display into a dud, some pyrotechnicians said.

Concerned about the thousands of spectators who crowd Las Vegas Boulevard and the increasing number of hotel-casinos taking part in the celebration, fire officials want more stringent restrictions.

Deputy Fire Chief Kathy Zagorski said her department is pushing to require all fireworks shot from hotel rooftops to be fired straight up, rather than at an angle. The department is also asking for larger "fallout" areas to keep the public away from falling fireworks debris.

"People on the street are just happy there is a show; they don't care if it angles off to the right or the left or if it goes straight up," Zagorski said. "But then you have to deal with public safety issues."

But pyrotechnicians claimed that if the code is amended, the county's largest New Year's show will never be the same.

Fallout zones are based on the size of the fireworks. Under the proposed amendment, pyrotechnic companies, which typically shoot 3-inch shells, would be required to clear a 300-foot area on a rooftop, said Michael Prata, operations manager for Pyritz Pyrotechnics. Under the current code, about 200 feet of cleared space is required.

Prata said because few resorts have 300 feet of roof space, companies will have to decrease the size of the fireworks shell they use.

"Las Vegas is supposed to be the Entertainment Capital of the World," Prata said. "This is the hardest place to shoot fireworks in the world. They are taking this to an extreme."

Prata said some fireworks won't be seen from the street if they are shot directly into the sky.

"It's ludicrous," said Prata, who has orchestrated shows for 20 years without incident. "Everything is going to be clumped together in the sky, and you're going to have very poor shows. Companies won't bid on them anymore."

Commissioners on Tuesday asked fire officials to meet with the pyrotechnics community to come up with an ordinance that would protect the public without compromising the revenue-generating New Year's show.

The National Fire Protection Association sets guidelines for events such as fireworks shows. But different jurisdictions have the option of adopting more stringent policies.

Las Vegas is different from other areas where larger displays are popular, Zagorski said. Shows in Boston, for example, are launched from the harbor and surrounded by water. In Las Vegas, the buildings are closer together and revelers crowd directly below, where they can be hit by debris.

She said companies should be capable of pulling off a spectacular display with the amended rules.

"The pyrotechnic companies are artists who want to have more creative shows and they don't think they can do that shooting them straight up," Zagorski said. "We tell them, 'Get more creative.' "