Folks who shop at “safe and sane” neighborhood firework stands may be flabbergasted by Utter Chaos.
I buy from legal stands, imagining they aren’t providing goods as dangerous or powerful as those for sale at Boom City in Tulalip.
Think again.
I love fireworks and two years ago bought fountains, snakes and Utter Chaos, a firework sold under the Black Cat label. I bought a six-pack at a legal stand behind Wal-Mart near Lynnwood in unincorporated Snohomish County. They were about 3 inches high and tipped with a plastic rocket top.
My husband, Chuck, and I decided to light a few off in our back yard. We lit Utter Chaos and to our astonishment, it zoomed up 6 feet, then tipped over sideways to zip horizontally across two neighborhood back yards.
I hadn’t seen that much excitement with fireworks since my sister got a hot firecracker down her back on a Camano Island beach when we were kids. If a neighbor had been standing in one of those back yards when we lit Utter Chaos, they could have been rammed by the blazing plastic-tipped zinger.
It reinforced my husband’s hate for fireworks. He only lights them off to amuse his wife. We were both amazed that we could have caused real damage with Utter Chaos.
We couldn’t believe we bought the thing at a legal stand.
Gary Bontrager, an investigator with the Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s office, said “safe and sane” is old terminology.
“It’s Class C fireworks they are selling in legal stands,” Bontrager said. “What they can sell is regulated by the state Fire Marshal’s Office.”
On the county side, they do extensive initial inspections at legal stands that open at noon June 29. They want to make sure their operations aren’t likely to catch fire; that cars are parked correctly; that there are fire extinguishers on hand; proper exits, setbacks, etc., he said.
Lynnwood Fire Marshal LeRoy McNulty agreed there is no such thing as “safe and sane” fireworks.
“We call them legal and illegal anymore,” McNulty said.
He said any firework that blows up or goes up can’t be sold in Lynnwood.
Two years ago I saved a “legal” Utter Chaos, then bought more last year at the same stand. This month I asked Battalion Chief Christian Davis with North County Fire/EMS if I could bring some Utter Chaos to his station at Warm Beach, south of Stanwood.
Davis was willing to do the test, saying all pyrotechnics are dangerous. He said the only safe fireworks are in shows done by professionals.
“Taping sparklers together can be a dangerous device,” he said. “A fountain can cause a burn.”
He agreed that parents stroll into neighborhood stands and expect to encounter fireworks that won’t create trouble: no bottle-rocket, bombs or projectiles.
“That’s the general assumption at legalized stands,” Davis said. “But it’s a false sense of security. You still need adult supervision.”
At the Warm Beach station, firefighters eyed Utter Chaos, made by Shiu Fung Fireworks Co. Ltd. in Hong Kong. They noticed a warning on the label reading “Emits showers of sparks.”
I hoped I hadn’t dramatized what the firework would do when lit. Davis and Ken Larsen put on their full gear and we headed for a far corner of the fire station parking lot.
Larsen lined up the little blasters in a row. He lit the fuse, stepped back, and bam, it rocketed straight up into the air more than 50 feet before exploding.
“Yes,” Davis said looking toward the blue sky. “That could hurt someone.”
Larsen lit number two and it did the same thing. Number three was a dud, just sputtered, and Davis said even a dud can hurt someone if they are standing too close.
“The hard top could hurt someone,” he said. “Any projectile creates a chance of injury.”
According to the state, different jurisdictions can limit what is legally sold. Anjela St. John, assistant state fire marshal, said that for instance, Auburn doesn’t allow any devices to be sold that go up in the air.
“We do look at products in the stands,” St. John said.
But not all devices that go up in the air, such as Utter Chaos, would be banned in every jurisdiction.
“The laws are a little strange,” she said. “Things that could appear illegal are actually allowed for sale.”
So Utter Chaos is OK for sale at some stands. To protect others unaware of its power, I’ll be grabbing as many as I can.
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com
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