A group of South Pasadena Middle School students made a recent pitch to the South Pasadena City Council, citing health and environmental concerns to replace the traditional Fourth of July fireworks show at the local high school with a dazzling, synchronized drone display illuminating the starry sky.
The daylong Festival of Balloons in the city, starting with a pancake breakfast in the early morning hours at the local fire department, followed by day’s opening ceremonies on the footsteps of the community room at the library, a hometown parade down Mission Street and an array of activities in Garfield Park, has long ended with nighttime booming sounds and bursting pyrotechnics.
After an afternoon full of swimming, backyard barbecues, gobbling up hamburgers and hotdogs could now end with a night filled with, new this year, drones!
“The beauty of the Festival of Balloons fireworks show may turn us to a blind eye of the negative effects of the shows,” said one of the students during the public comment portion of the February 19 council meeting. “However, if you dive into the drawbacks of fireworks, one problem immediately surfaces – air pollution. Fireworks release many harmful gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide which speed up climate change and can cause flareups for people with lung conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.”
A study she found from the American Lung Association points out that breathing in the toxic particles can cause heart attacks, lung cancer and, in serious cases, premature death.
“These negative effects defeat the purpose of the show being a positive experience for residents of South Pasadena,” she noted, before explaining that drone shows run on electricity, cause zero pollution, can be played to music and held indoors.
“They can be just as dazzling as fireworks,” she insisted.
While saying some drone shows may be more expensive more than fireworks, “This extra cost is worth it to improve our air quality and reduce global warming,” she insisted.
Another speaker, highlighting the wildfires that ravaged the region at the beginning of the year, warned that fireworks could someday lead to an inferno, especially in the hot dry climate during summer months.
“Many South Pasadenans will probably be skittish about anything that could be a fire hazard,” she said. “On the other hand, drone shows have a lower risk of starting fires. Though many people may still prefer the traditional spectacle that fireworks offer, they will likely not want a fire to happen on a day that is supposed to be fun.”
A third student brought up the sound level of fireworks, causing a stress on animals, suggesting dogs may react by hiding or running away.
War veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) find fireworks similar to the sounds of bombs, bringing on stressful trauma they are forced to endure, warned the final speaker on the topic. Individuals with autism or other sensory related triggers may also find fireworks emotionally taxing, she insisted.
Seeking sponsors in exchange for displaying company logos at the event were thoughts by the speaker to help reduce the expense of a drone show.
“Please change the Festival of Balloons fireworks show to a drone show to make it delightful for everyone,” she encouraged the council.
That agenda item will be raised during the regularly scheduled March 19 council meeting, providing members on the five-person panel an opportunity to weigh in.
At least one, Councilmember Michael Cacciotti, who has held a seat since 2001, and served five times as mayor, likes the idea of drones taking to the sky. Further, since 2008, the environmentalist has served as a board member and currently is the vice chair of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, responsible for regulating stationary sources of air pollution in a four-county region – Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside –serving approximately 17 million people.
He brought up the drone concept of replacing fireworks in town a year ago, and it wasn’t given the go-ahead by the council. But with a pair of new seats filled on election day last November, he’s more confident it will get approval this time around.
“I’m grateful of the students from the middle school for showing up to support a drone show,” said Cacciotti. “I will support their efforts as we immediately look to transition from an air polluting fireworks show to a much cleaner drone show.”
The councilmember stressed that the benefits are multiple, saying there is not only a significant reduction in air pollution, but no chance of fire danger or loud noises from the drone display.
Along with carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide in the air, Cacciotti stressed that a number of harmful metals – aluminum, cadmium – are released into the atmosphere during fireworks.
“It lasts for several hours,” he said. “They blow all over the neighborhood, scatter in all directions depending on the weather conditions and we are inhaling the harmful byproducts into our lungs and into the filter systems in our homes, causing serious respiratory problems such as asthma or COPD, possible cancer, all impacting our health.”
It’s a growing trend as more and more cities across the country are saying goodbye to fireworks and welcoming an environmentally friendlier, fire-free, quieter alternative, recognizing that a spark can set off a blaze. Drone shows also offer a musical element with patriotic sounds worked into the program.
The form of entertainment, say supporters, feature a large number of drones using LED lights to create computer-generated formations and provide the same wow effect as fireworks.
In terms of cost, Cacciotti believes it’s either comparable or a little bit more for a drone show, “but the benefits far outweigh fireworks. It’s a major health concern, so by having a drone show we can protect our residents and still provide a spectacular aerial display.”
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