By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Fire and police officials are planning for a busy, smoky
New Year's Eve. They remind people to take care when
using fireworks, which can be as dangerous as they are fun.

And you thought
last year’s fireworks
were endless ...

Then plug up your ears,
sedate the pets, and
look for a bumper crop

By Dawn Sagario
Star-Bulletin

Fireworks until five.

"Last year in Ewa was real hectic," resident Daryl Kim recalled, with people setting off fireworks as late as 5 a.m.

"I remember walking out of the house, and I couldn't even see two feet in front of me."

And for the millennium, Kim expects even more. "From what I hear, it's gonna be big."

Kim and neighboring family and friends all along Kikoo Street together will spend more than the usual few hundred dollars for New Year's.

"They're thinking, "It's 2000, so let's go out with a bang,' " Kim said.

Jeanine Hema and her family usually budget $300 to $400 for New Year's, but decided that the millennium warrants a little more in the way of fireworks fun.

"We're probably going to be spending over $500 for New Year's 2000," Hema said.

For businesses, millennium fireworks sales won't be so much about the boom -- but about trying to avoid the bust.

"To go into it heavy would be a mistake because there's a lot of competitors," said Neal Arisumi, fireworks buyer for Daiei stores. "We're pretty much doing what we did last year."

That amounts to bringing in about $1 million worth of fireworks, he added.

"We buy to sell out, we don't buy to break records," Arisumi said.

"We sold everything (last New Year's) except about one-half percent of inventory."

City Mill Honolulu manager Med Batoon said his store plans to increase stock by about 10 percent in anticipation of millennium fireworks celebrations.

"I think it's gonna be good, but I don't think it's gonna be that good," he said regarding sales.

Kmart Honolulu, however, is hoping to exceed profits from New Year's 1999 fireworks sales. Said store manager Ryan Budisalich: "Last year was tremendous for us, but we do expect to top that."

While fireworks enthusiasts prep for the millennium, the county's fire and ambulance officials are getting ready, too.

Special precautions are always taken for the New Year, with the millennium being no exception.

"It can be safe to say that we're gearing up for an increase in fireworks usage," said Capt. Richard Soo, the Fire Department's public information officer.

The department usually designates three extra back-up apparatuses for New Year's. This year, five will be manned and fully operational, in addition to all the other equipment normally at the ready.

"We will be ready to respond to anything that night," said Donnie Gates, chief of operations for emergency ambulance services.

"We're still not sure on the magnitude (of activities) that night. But we're beefing up the system to accommodate any problems."

Allison Beale, director of environmental health at the American Lung Association of Hawaii, reminded those with respiratory problems to be prepared.

"It'll be worse than last New Year's; there's no way about it, it's going to be worse," she said.

The association is working with businesses to provide areas for those who want to escape the fireworks frenzy. Tentative plans would help those with respiratory problems breathe easier by making places such as movie theaters available at minimal expense, or possibly for free.

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. -- it's the law The hours for fireworks use will be the same as in other recent New Year's celebrations: 9 p.m. Dec. 31, to 1 a.m. Jan. 1. Some fireworks safety tips from the Honolulu Fire Department: Use only approved fireworks from a licensed retail outlet which has posted its retail permit at the selling site. Read and follow all warning and instructions listed by the manufacturer. Ensure that other people are out of range before lighting fireworks. Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves and flammable materials. Have a garden hose or bucket of water ready in case of fire. Allow children to use fireworks only under the direct supervision of an adult. Even sparklers can be dangerous to small children. Tips to help you breathe easier The American Lung Association of Hawaii offers these tips to help those with respiratory problems cope with fireworks: Drink fluids. Regular warm tap water is best. Those who have the flu or pneumonia should make sure they stay hydrated. Stay indoors, preferably somewhere with filtered air. Keep all medications near. You may need more medication or a stronger dosage. Consult your doctor. Have emergency phone numbers close. Try to relax. Avoid anything that's going to cause stress. Don't smoke, and stay away from smokers. Try to avoid people who are sick, and keep as healthy as you can.

Police, fire
plan for worst

With computer woes looming,
'We don't know what to expect,'
a police official says

By Alisa Lavelle
Star-Bulletin

Fireworks and concerts top the concerns of the Fire and Police departments for the Millennium/New Year's Eve celebrations. But the added worries over Y2K computer woes have both departments also planning for the worst.

"We're hoping for status quo," said assistant police chief Boisse Correa. "With Y2K, we don't know what to expect."

Both departments have suspended leave time for all employees between Dec. 27 and Jan. 15. And to handle potential "Y2K computer bug" problems, the Fire Department's options include keeping two shifts.

"We'll hold on the 300 people going off the shift, while bringing on the next 300 coming on the shift," Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi said. "We feel we have enough resources to handle any major concerns."

The Police Department also is poised for complete mobilization in case of emergencies and disruptions.

"We're prepared for infrastructure blinks and social concerns like bank rushes," Correa said. "Everyone will be working that night, the chief and all the deputies included."

Already, police have advised people against withdrawing large amounts of cash and hoarding. Keeping such money around, they say, would only enhance opportunities for criminals and could contribute to an increase of home invasion robberies near year's end. Banks, meanwhile, have tried to assure customers that their systems are Y2K compliant and that no computer glitches will occur to warrant hoarding cash.

Police contingencies will cover the gamut, from facility, transportation and electrical, to communication failures. Planning for the worst-case scenarios involve a joint effort that included the state Police, city Fire and Police departments and National Guard.

Federal planning conventions also have helped Hawaii get ready - Leonardi attended one such meeting in San Francisco; Correa, in Atlanta.

"We compared our planning with the rest of the nation," Correa recalled. "We also learned from the millions of dollars of research done by other states."

"Some states have been planning for years," he noted.

Hawaii's time difference will also be an advantage.

"We'll be watching the rest of world," Leonardi said. "Since we are last to change over for the millennium, we have some time to adjust, get advance notice from other countries."

For the Fire Department, one perennial problem is already expected to be worse than previous years: fireworks.

"There will be more people partying," Leonardi said. "We expect double the smoke and problems with fireworks."

Combine the fact that this will be a once-in-a-lifetime millennium celebration, with the possibility that this may be the last year for legal fireworks, and its an explosive situation, said Leonardi. He hopes cloudless skies and enough tradewinds will alleviate the heavy usage and dissipate smoke. Also, the department plans to have extra fire trucks on duty.

Police officers will concentrate their efforts in areas where special events are taking place.

"We want to be optimistic and know that we live in a good community," Correa said. "But we have to be realistic and prepare for the worst."