Vancouver Fire reminds locals Halloween fireworks still banned

With Halloween just over a week away, Vancouverites are being reminded that fireworks are illegal in the city.

Fireworks were once allowed in Vancouver, though only on Oct. 31, but all that changed when a ban was brought in, starting Nov. 1, 2020.

Despite the arrival of rain to Metro Vancouver Friday, and more expected in the coming days, conditions around the region remain drier than usual for this time of year.

As such, fire crews are urging people to follow the rules and not put the community at risk.

“Reminding because of the dry weather that people abide by this and not light any fireworks,” explained Vancouver Fire Rescue Services public information officer Matthew Trudeau.

“But regardless of the amount of rain or accumulation, or how wet or dry it seems, we still remain with our messaging that it is banned in the city and do not use fireworks.”

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Though last year marked the first Halloween that people weren’t able to set off any fireworks, the ban didn’t deter many people. While some people reported little-to-no fireworks in their areas, other neighbourhoods were flooded with bright dazzling lights and loud explosive sounds.

Trudeau says additional staff, including fire prevention inspectors and other officials, will be out to enforce the rules.

“We have seen them, I’m sure people have heard that they’re around. We’re asking people to call 3-1-1 for complaints about fireworks. If you see something urgent — something starts smoking, something is on fire — we’re reminding people to call 9-1-1 to prevent any kind of fire spread,” he told OMNI News.

He notes the evidence to support a ban has been clear over the years.

“In 2018, 2019, and 2020, we saw quite a bit of fire and damage, specifically on Halloween and around fireworks. We had numerous fireworks that … we had unintended consequences from them, from small things like burn injuries to trees catching on fire. We’ve had numerous house fires caused by fireworks going into eaves and inside buildings through windows,” Trudeau explained.

Vancouver fire estimates damages from previous years “in the millions.”

“As you can imagine, even one house catching on fire — property values, house — there’s a lot of money, inherently. Small damages to brush to trees really don’t have a dollar loss, but those can quickly spread, especially with dry conditions,” explained Trudeau.

Related video: Vancouver fireworks went out with a bang before Nov. 1, 2020 ban

“Thankfully we haven’t had any significant events in the last two years because of this [ban] implementation and we’re hoping to continue the trend.”

According to the city, fireworks may still be used at community events only if they are discharged by a certified technician with the appropriate certification.

People are reminded to have working smoke alarms in their homes, as well as a home escape plan in the event of an emergency.

-With files from OMNI News