Fireworks Sales Are Booming : Fillmore: Operators of the county’s only legal outlets say the increase is sparked by patriotic fervor. Fire officials elsewhere still oppose their use.

An upsurge in patriotism stemming from the Gulf War has translated into a business recovery for church and civic groups selling fireworks along California 126 in Fillmore, operators said Tuesday.

After a sharp drop in sales last year because of concern about sparking drought-related brush fires, operators of the only legal fireworks outlets in Ventura County report a sales rebound that they attribute to patriotic fervor.

“This is turning out to be a good year because people are feeling so patriotic,” said Sandra Prince, president of the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce, which operates a booth.

The increase in sales comes much to the consternation of fire officials elsewhere in Ventura County, who have long castigated Fillmore for being the county’s lone fireworks supplier.

“With the many shows going on this week, there is ample opportunity to express your patriotism by attending civic fireworks displays, rather than setting off fireworks in cities that have outlawed them,” County Fire Marshal Jim Smith said.

The so-called “safe-and-sane” fireworks--which emit whistling noises and colorful sparks and don’t leave the ground--are still illegal everywhere in Ventura County except Fillmore. Still, non-residents account for an estimated 80% to 85% of Fillmore’s total annual sales.

And, despite their relative safety compared to fireworks that explode or soar skywards, safe-and-sane fireworks are the cause of half of the fires reported in Ventura County from mid-June through mid-July, according to Ventura County Fire Department records.

They are tolerated by police outside Fillmore more than the ash-can and skyrocket varieties, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Richard Purnell, manager of the Fillmore station.

Purnell said that only in rare instances during a stop for other offenses do deputies assigned to the Fillmore area cite motorists who drive beyond city limits with their purchases.

“It’s been shown that in cities where fireworks are not sold, illegal (explosive and airborne) fireworks are brought in and then you have accidents,” Purnell said. “You can buy safe-and-sane fireworks in most cities in the state. In reality, Fillmore is not a lone wolf, just the exception and not the rule in Ventura County.”

The sales upswing comes as a boon to the churches, civic groups and youth sport programs that bank on Independence Day fireworks sales as their main fund-raiser of the year.

The booths will generate an estimated $125,000 in profits this year. All profits are rolled back into the community, largely into programs for children.

Prices are virtually identical from one stand to the next because price-slashing to get a competitive edge is frowned upon. The booths are staffed with free labor, with many volunteers donating time at two or more stands.

“It’s not intended to be competitive since all the money goes to worthy causes,” said Bill Garbarati, a 72-year-old real estate agent staffing the Sunrisers Rotary Club booth.

“There is enough business to go around for everyone,” Fire Chief Patrick Askren said. “They hold firm on suggested retail prices and don’t deal, though there may be some dickering at the last minute to get rid of stock.”

Passage of an ordinance a decade ago restricting permits to nonprofit organizations put an end to the free-market system in which commercial sellers competed with local groups, Askren said.

Each year, Askren becomes a one-man regulatory agency during the week that the groups set up shop. He enforces regulations laid down by the state fire marshal’s office. Among them: No sellers can be under 18, no buyers can be under 16, no smoking is allowed in the vicinity of the booths and up-to-date wiring is required for booth lights that sometimes burn until 2 a.m.

“These people have a lot to do besides me pestering them,” Askren said of the operators, who stay open at least 15 hours a day. “There are a lot of hours to be covered and it’s not fun work. It gets hot and dusty with the trucks rolling by on the highway.”

LaRue Cowans, manager of the Faith Miracle Revival Center booth, got caught short Monday on several hot products, including smoke-balls, a $79 Giant Block Party pack and two new items for which sales have been explosive--fire ants and the Devil’s Delight fountain.

Cowan said the bulk of the sales have been to parents. “They say they’re buying them for their kids, but as excited as they are picking them out, I think they’re buying as much for themselves.”

Susan Pal, shopping with her 15-year-old daughter, was eager to learn what the various fireworks do.

“There is a child in all of us,” said Pal, a 45-year-old property manager from Ventura.

The business has its costs, including booth rental fees, liability insurance and an $85 city permit, $60 of which goes toward the cleanup of discharged fireworks the day after the holiday.

It also has its gimmicks, such as a free American flag with purchase of the $29 assortment pack. That combination package has been outselling all others in the $9.99-to-$99.99 category, said Tammy Duff, who has been working the girls softball and Assembly of God booths.

Ron and Deborah Mesker of Ojai stopped at Cowan’s booth to supplement their leftovers from last year’s Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The Meskers plan to set off their collection with their daughters in their back yard, but only after taking traditional precautions of watering the lawn to alleviate dry conditions, keeping a garden hose nearby and locking their dog in the house.

“People should definitely keep their dogs inside,” Deborah Mesker said. “Our last dog, she was a little thing, and it scared her. She ran away, and we never found her.”