No Fireworks-related Fires or Injuries Reported Over Holiday Weekend, Work Begins to Fine-tune Pilot Program

The Fourth of July came and went in Dixon without a single fireworks-related incident, but now the work begins to fine-tune a two-year pilot program that allows the sale of state-approved fireworks.

“I am relatively pleased with the outcome of the weekend,” Dixon Fire Chief Aaron McAlister said. “We had no incidents of fire and no injuries that were attributable to fireworks. In my mind, that was successful. It went really well.”

On the Fourth of July, a special task force patrolled the streets of Dixon. The task force consisted of three teams – with McAlister and Dixon Police Chief and interim City Manager Jon Cox forming one team – each one comprised of one police officer and one firefighter.

The teams issued one administrative citation and confiscated illegal fireworks from Dixon residents, McAlister said.

“I have a box of illegal fireworks that were confiscated and they were confiscated because of the efforts of our task force,” McAlister said.

The task force’s mission was to find illegal or dangerous fireworks on the streets of Dixon, make sure that safe fireworks were not misused, and ensure that no fireworks were being used along First Street , city parks or property. The task force began patrolling Dixon on the first day that fireworks were available, June 28.

On the Fourth of July, the task force gave out many warnings, McAlister said.

“We had a lot of contact (with Dixon residents) approaching 100 contacts over the weekend,” McAlister said. “A lot of it was education. Each contact didn’t necessarily result in a confiscation or a citation or a seizure.”

McAlister said he informed his fellow fire chiefs in neighboring cities that the Safe-and-Sane fireworks would be available in Dixon and asked them to notify him should any of Dixon’s fireworks caused any incidents. But as of Wednesday afternoon, McAlister said he had not heard about incidents in neighboring communities.

The fire department did respond to an Allendale fire over the holiday, but McAlister said it was attributed to a blown transformer. McAlister said he was concerned that people will save fireworks and set them off long after the holiday is over and the task force is disbanded.

“Hopefully everything that was purchased in our community was consumed over the holiday,” McAlister said.

The Safe-and-Sane fireworks did seemingly nothing to increase the use of illegal or dangerous fireworks in Dixon, but McAlister said that the sales did nothing to decrease them.

“The illegal stuff was very prevalent around town,” he said. “Our presence in our community made a difference, the contacts. Hopefully that curtailed some of the issues.”

With the holiday gone, McAlister is gathering information to present to the Dixon City Council that will assist the council in fine-tuning the program and making it better for the community and the nonprofits. McAlister said he will give a verbal update to the council during its next meeting and will come back to them with recommendations in the fall. The Dixon Police Department will also be part of the process, McAlister said.

In all, the eight nonprofit groups who sold fireworks in Dixon generated over $215,200 in gross revenue. The two-year pilot program called for eight fireworks stands in Dixon, four more than what the draft ordinance called for.

Chris Lyle, the fundraising coordinator for Dixon Girls Softball, said there should have been fewer stands. The Dixon Girls Softball fireworks stand was located at the Wendy’s parking lot. The stand generated a little over $20,000.

“We had quite a few stands on First Street, it seems that they were really saturated there, so maybe I would spread it out,” she said. “I think maybe six booths would probably be a better number (of stands).”

Gregg Coppes, American Legion Post 208 commander, said the number of the stands wasn’t necessarily an issue for the American Legion Auxiliary’s fireworks sales. Its stand was situated along Pitt School Road at Stratford Avenue. But Coppes said he would like to see some other changes in the program.

“One thing that would have helped us a lot, we need to be able to open booths up earlier in the morning,” he said. “We need larger signs than the ordinance allows.”

Signage became an issue, specifically A-frame styled signs, because of concerns that they would be beyond the square footage allowed under a city sign ordinance.

“Certainly signage was an issue,” McAlister said.

McAlister added: "There is a local ordinance that governs A-frame signs and some of the large stands exceeded the allowable square footage. And it was clear to me that the council wanted to make some changes to that."

A special meeting of the Dixon City Council was called last week to discuss this and many other issues related to the stands – such as shade covers – that are sure to come up again as the council reviews the impact of the fireworks sales on Dixon.

Editor's Note: an earlier version of the story misreported that the A-frame style signs would add to the square footage of the fireworks stands. The signs have nothing to do with the square footage of the fireworks stands, and the size of them is governed by a city sign ordinance.