Company applies to dispose of Waianae fireworks

[displayfireworks1]

HONOLULU (AP) - A fireworks display company has applied for an emergency permit to dispose of aging and hazardous fireworks stored in the bunker where five workers died in a 2011 explosion and fire.


The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Grucci Inc. has applied to the Department of Health for a permit to dispose of 5,400 pyrotechnic devices.

Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch chief Steven Chang says Grucci proposes to shoot off the fireworks once per month for six months at a Waianae chicken farm.

The fireworks were seized by federal authorities. The company needs a commercial license to fire them off.

Honolulu Councilwoman Kymberly Pine represents the Waianae area and says it's a bad idea.

She says surrounding farms have animals sensitive to loud noises and blowing off fireworks disposal could harm them
http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/hi/HI_27902.gif
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Here is the location of the ATF Field Office in Hawaii
https://www.atf.gov/files/graphics/layout/field/states/hawaii.jpg
I would love to get the real story on this. why would they want to destroy these fireworks? Did they make a deal with the ATF in Hawaii to store seized fireworks?
Hawaii has been an impossible state for me to crack with the privately held ATF license. The few people in the 1.3 business want to keep it that way namely Hawaii Explosives and Pyrotechnics. I tried to help a few people there get a Type 54 and Hawaii Explosives will not cooperate, they told me they want island people to pay them for a display. My confidential sources told me they are smuggling fireworks from Russia into Hawaii. Its funny because they showed me pictures of the fireworks and it has Russian writing on it. What type of involvement does Grucci have in Hawaii? My guess is they partnered with someone already established.
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He is something funny. In 2010 I purchased firecrackers meant for Hawaii in the state of Virginia. LOL Watch how fast they burn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxvOnPZ-0cQ

[PGH_Pyro]

nice head bom

[NWPA]

Being more of a collector I would have never even opened the box. Looked pretty cool to me. lol

[displayfireworks1]

Nanakuli residents will get a chance to air their concerns this week on a proposal to dispose of a large cache of fireworks — remnants of the fatal 2011 Wai*kele storage bunker explosion — by shooting them off at a property in their neighborhood.

The U.S. Department of Treasury tapped Grucci Inc., a professional fireworks display company, to dispose of the fireworks, which were seized after being illegally shipped to Hono*lulu, said Steven Chang, chief of the Department of Health's Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch
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If I remember the original story correctly, in 2011 these men were attempting to destroy ATF confiscated fireworks that were stored in that bunker. I am surprised there were any left.
http://www.pogo.org/assets/images/blog/2013/fireworks-120.jpg
https://www.atf.gov/files/graphics/featured/2011/042211-sea-fireworks-expansion-site-still-active.gif
.Below is from the ATF April 21, 2011
Apparently the company Donaldson Enterprises was an ordince disposal company.
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Fireworks Explosion Site Still Active Scene

Joint Agency Investigation Moves Forward

HONOLULU – The U.S Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) has begun remediation actions at the site of the April 2011 Waikele fireworks explosion. These efforts will remove and properly dispose of the explosive hazardous materials that remain in the Waikele bunker after the explosion and allow the joint agency investigation to proceed safely.

“We want to ensure that the hazards are removed and properly disposed of and make a safe work environment for bomb technicians and arson cause and origin experts to conduct a complete and thorough investigation,” said Jordan Lowe, Resident Agent in Charge of ATF’s Hawaii office.

The materials are being safely transported to an undisclosed location where proper disposal takes place.

The ATF continues to support the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) in the fireworks explosion investigation. Also participating in the joint agency investigation is the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), the U.S. Department of Transportation and both federal and Hawaii state OSHA.

“Without a doubt this is one of the most difficult investigations that the HFD has done. We are grateful that the ATF and the CSB have brought their expertise to Honolulu and continue to support this investigation,” HFD Captain Terry Seelig said. “The cleanup of the bunker will significantly help this investigation move forward, but there is still much that needs to be done. We can not guarantee that it will be possible to come to a definitive cause for this explosion but we can devote considerable resources as we owe the families of those who were fatally injured our best efforts. We also owe them our promise to avoid speculation or preliminary results that aren’t yet conclusive, and to notify them first once the investigation is complete,” Seelig said.

RAC Lowe added that, “We hope the results of the investigation may help the families understand what occurred, but also contribute to the safe and proper handling of fireworks across the nation. ATF has been involved in explosives investigations for over three decades. While the result of an investigation may help explain what happened, it can also help prevent similar tragedies.”

The Waiklele fireworks explosion occurred on April 8, 2011 in a storage bunker in the Waikele Business Center. The bunkers are located in Waikele Gulch on the island of Oahu. Five Donaldson Enterprises Inc. workers suffered fatal injuries from the explosion. Donaldson Enterprises Inc. is an ordnance disposal company that held a contract to store confiscated fireworks and that leased space in the Waikele bunkers. The actions that preceded the explosion remain under investigation.
http://i1.wp.com/www.spacesafetymagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/fireworks-disassembly.jpg
http://i0.wp.com/www.spacesafetymagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/firework-damage.jpg
On April 8, 2011, at approximately 8:50 am, an explosion and fire occurred at a magazine1 located at Waikele Self Storage in Waipahu, Hawaii, that was leased and used by Donaldson Enterprises, Inc. (DEI) for seized fireworks storage and disposal-related activities. Five DEI personnel in the magazine at the time of the incident were fatally injured. DEI is an unexploded ordnance2 (UXO) remediation company based on Oahu that employs fewer than 20 full-time workers. Pursuant to a federal seized property management contract with the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture (TEOAF), federal government contractor VSE Corporation (VSE) awarded DEI a subcontract in early 2010 to dispose of imported fireworks seized in Honolulu, Hawaii, by federal law enforcement personnel. Three fireworks shipments were seized as contraband3 because they were labeled as consumer grade fireworks but, upon inspection, appeared physically consistent with more hazardous commercial display grade fireworks. Federal contractor selection regulations did not require VSE procurement personnel to conduct a safety- related review of DEI prior to awarding the company the subcontract, nor did VSE procurement personnel involved in awarding this subcontract have training and experience related to fireworks disposal. VSE’s procurement office selected DEI as the fireworks disposal subcontractor because DEI was already storing the seized fireworks at the time under a separate subcontract with VSE, and because DEI submitted the lowest-cost and most time-efficient bid, which VSE determined to be the best overall value for the government. VSE procurement personnel were unaware that DEI had no prior fireworks disposal experience when it awarded the subcontract. Because seized fireworks requiring disposal are considered hazardous waste in the United States, DEI was required to obtain an environmental permit from the State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH). In June 2010, DOH issued DEI a 90-day emergency hazardous waste permit authorizing “thermal treatment”4 of the fireworks at a local shooting range, and DEI began its disposal work soon after. The permit did not evaluate or address fireworks disassembly or diesel soaking. To dispose of the first seizure of fireworks, DEI personnel separated individual firework tubes from their original configuration and soaked the firework tubes whole in 55-gallon diesel-filled steel drums inside the magazine. DEI then transported the soaked fireworks to a local shooting range to burn them in either drums or a portable incinerator.

[displayfireworks1]

The Investigative Final Report.
http://www.csb.gov/assets/1/19/DEI_Final_01172013.pdf
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rktMzw2fd28
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Company, 2 employees indicted in Waikele fatal explosion case
Indicted by the federal grand jury Thursday for conspiring to treat hazardous wastes without a permit were Charles Donaldson, 37, of Kaneohe; and Carlton Finley, 65; and Donaldson Enterprises Inc, a Hawaii corporation. The grand jury also charged Donaldson, Finley and DEI with 20 counts of treating hazardous wastes without a permit.
Full story http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/171844971.html?id=171844971
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Man acquitted of importing fireworks linked to Waikele blast
A federal court jury of seven women and five men found Gifford Koon Fo Chang, 45, not guilty of charges of smuggling, importing explosive materials without a license, and attempting to import explosives by falsifying statements.
Full Story http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/168703676.html?id=168703676

[PGH_Pyro]

why not just shoot / light the stuff , somewhere rather than try to dismantle the stuff which is more dangerous ??!!

[PyroManiacs]

Exactly my thoughts, PGH!

[PGH_Pyro]

yeah i mean ... donate a free show somewhere or something ? for veterans or something ?

[displayfireworks1]

Now that Grucci has to deal with this mess and we hear the local public uproar over the noise this may cause, leading to stress to their animals etc. I have an opinion on this, I welcome others to also post an opinion.
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I suspect Donaldson Enterprises Inc., knew there would be problems if they simply would just light these, they were also burdened with all the regulatory accounting and documentation that goes with explosive material. Thus, they decided to sanitize the fireworks, they attempted to do this by turning it into barrels of flammable material. The nice thing about turning all these fireworks into flammable slurry is can just take this slurry and let it quietly burn. Also once you take a commercial fireworks product and turn it into something else it ends all the bookkeeping that 1.3 explosives require. Donaldson Enterprises had some experience destroying military ordinances into a quiet burnable slurry and thought they could do the same with fireworks. A lot of high explosive stuff is not as sensitive as fireworks, someone told me once they way you get rid of dynamite is burn it, we know that is not so easy to do with fireworks compositions. Why would someone take well made 1.3 fireworks cakes and dismantle them? They wanted to quietly dispose of them. Grucci knows they can not take this route and will just set them off, however with the tragic events still fresh in everyone mind there will be public objection. Grucci knows the risk involved with making it into a burnable quit slurry, they will not make the same mistake.
All of this is secondary to limited 1.3 sales in Hawaii, the few professional fireworks companies in Hawaii have conspired to prevent any private Type 54 permits or private 1.3 sales, the demand for 1.3 fireworks is being filled by smugglers bringing 1.3 fireworks in by mismarking boxes as 1.4 or by bringing fireworks in from Russia. The ATF and/or CPSC is not equipped to dispose of fireworks. Someone that made deal with the CPSC for disposal approached the Crackerjacks wanting to destroy fireworks confiscated by the CPSC at one of our get together, the Crackerjackls said no. Toward the end of the Virginia location I heard the officer stopped accepting poorly made fireworks that professional companies wanted rid of to, entrepreneurs pop up from time to time and are willing to help the ATF to make some money. This is the unfortunate result.
I remember when I was with the Crakerjacks in Virginia, many professional companies gave us bad product for dispose of, it became too much. Finally the bookkeeping became too much and the fireworks were destroyed. In this video you will see some of how it was done. A hole I believe was four of five feet deep was dug in the ground.
This is an unlisted video. I hope you find the humor in some of it. I will let the video play for a short time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RPgO86AEeM

[NWPA]

Safety is always a priority I know but I really like the let it fly attitude here. As to Hawaii's firework issue, if they came into the country illegally why not just ship them back to where ever they came from.

[Zach27]

I have been to Hawaii many times and there laws vary by county regarding 1.4G Pyrotechnics. In Honolulu County for example only firecrackers are legal to purchase with a $25.00 permit per 5,000 crackers while every other type of consumer firework in prohibited including paper firecrackers. It was only in 2012 that they banned all Safe & Sane fireworks with strong opposition from firework retailers and residents of Oahu.

The state law is Safe & Sane along with firecrackers are allowed and Islands can make the their laws more stringent but not more leniant. I support taking the 1.3G fireworks away from people without permits and licenses but 1.4G really? When they banned them I felt so bad for people who live there!! I can see why rockets and missile are banned but why not allow cakes at the least?

[displayfireworks1]

As I continue to follow this event. We now hear how many fireworks there are and the plan to shoot them. No word I can find on if the permit was issued to Grucci.
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/morning_call/2014/10/grucci-seeks-permit-to-dispose-of-hawaii-fireworks.html
New York-based Grucci, Inc., one of the oldest and largest fireworks companies in the United States, has a plan to dispose of 5,400 pyrotechnic devices stored in an Oahu bunker and is seeking an emergency permit from the Hawaii State Department of Health to fire them off from a Waianae chicken farm.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports a spokesman for the Health Department says Grucci Inc. proposes to place the devices in tubes and fire them off every six months in equal increments, or about 900 at a time
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The problem with shooting the fireworks at the Waianae Island location is there are many farms with livestock on this island.

[PyroManiacs]

Hmmm, every six months?!? July 4th..... and New Years

[displayfireworks1]

Still waiting for the outcome.
http://www.councilmemberpine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Emergency-Permit.jpg
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Here is picture of the site set for disposal.
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/united-states-hawaii/hawaii1-11b266ed6097d94e3d6b4ecef9a5e9636e0ade40.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/united-states-hawaii/hawaii-3-d55f7c80eb0efc8e1e430496e41825dce0947bfb.jpg
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Grucci’s advice: “The best way is to set them off as they are intended to be set off,” Chang said.
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Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the Wai*anae area, objects to setting off fireworks in an agricultural area and is still gathering information on the proposal.

“I am really tired of people dumping things in my distract that they don’t want, especially dangerous fireworks,” she said. “It just seems like an inappropriate place to be disposing of dangerous materials.”
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Screen-shot-2012-04-05-at-7.00.11-AM.png
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Chang explained how the large amount of fireworks stored in the 1,000-foot-long storage tunnel still remains after the April 8, 2011, explosion that killed five Donaldson Enterprises employees:

“When the explosion occurred, a blast was directed out the front door, like a cannon explosion,” Chang said. “It didn’t go farther back in the tunnel,” where a large cache of fireworks for disposal remained.

Chang said Donaldson Enterprises employees tried to cut the fireworks open, soak them in diesel, then burn them.

[wizard7611]

This is why it strictly says in the ATF Orange book that you shouldn't disassemble display fireworks. I believe it's because most people don't know the safety precautions you have to use when handling these powders or chemicals.

[displayfireworks1]

Speaking of destroying fireworks in that other post, I am bringing back this thread from 2014. It a good read and I particularly thought that industrial documentary video was educational. For those new to the forums you may learn something. Down the road another subject we should discuss are the cons of tearing down an electrical display that was cancelled for one reason or another.

[Arclight]

I'm actually surprised that they called Grucci at all. For some reason, the local authorities in most places will call anyone but experienced fireworks professionals. Police, volunteer fire, some company that removes hazardous waste, etc. Or they do what the Los Angeles does - just pack more shipping containers with it and store in the high desert forever.

EOD experts have basically zero training in fireworks disposal. It's considered too unpredictable/variable in construction for them to put in their manuals.

So I don't know...Call a fireworks place? Let them just display/light/burn it in a safe area based on their expertise and ability to read labels? Nope, that's too reasonable and God forbid, someone might accidentally have fun. In CA, the issue seems to be that AQMD won't let them burn them and the PD/FIre Marshall won't let them send them out out state just in case someone tries to re-import them. And it's illegal for a display company to shoot any products that aren't already on the CA approved list. So there we go.

[displayfireworks1]

Looking back over the years I made a few of these videos. Here is one from 12 years ago. I soaked this shell in water for 12 days. These thing take longer to destroy than you think.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfAzwOaZdqM