Environment-Friendly Drone Light Shows on 4th of July Replace Fire Hazard Pyrotechnics

(Photo : Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty Images)
Environment-friendly drone light shows were deployed for the 4th of July.

Instead of the customary fire-hazard pyrotechnic displays, drone light shows that were more environmentally friendly were on display for the 4th of July celebration.

Environment-Friendly vs. Fire Hazard

Some US cities have decided not to use the traditional Fourth of July fireworks this year in favor of breathtaking drone light displays due to fire hazards and environmental concerns.

With its first-ever drone show, Salt Lake City, Utah, tested out an alternate method of commemorating Independence Day on Saturday.

Mayor Erin Mendenhall stated that the new format represented an effort to reduce the area's "high fire danger" and to alleviate problems with air quality brought on by fireworks.

Mendenhall stated in the press release issued by Salt Lake City that it is important to be mindful of both the risk of wildfires and the quality of the air as temperatures rise and the fire danger grows.

Wildfires

According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, Utah has between 800 and 1,000 wildfires per year, making it one of the states in the US with the highest risk of wildfires.

The City of Boulder in nearby Colorado made a comparable choice this year with its first-ever evening drone show the following week. Colorado is in the midst of its wildfire season.

According to a social media post, the city has been hosting Ralphie's Independence Day Blast since 1941, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per the City of Boulder, the decision to switch from conventional fireworks to drones was not made lightly and was motivated by a variety of considerations, including a rise in fire hazards brought on by climate change.

The committee in charge of organizing the city's July Fourth celebrations chose to use drones this year after taking the environmental effects and their challenges locating fireworks into account, according to Dan Kingdom, owner of WK Real Estate in Boulder.

One of the topics highlighted, according to Kingdom, whose business collaborated with the city on organizing the event together with the University of Colorado, was the fact that their neighborhood experienced the Marshall Fire roughly 18 months ago.

Kingdom said that in the end, they were able to make up their minds fairly quickly and easily to use drones because the company from which they had always purchased the fireworks had gone out of business due to the pandemic and they were unable to find fireworks for the show.

Also Read: Endangered Bobolink Birds Found in 4th of July Fireworks Site Amesbury, Display Postponed 

Quiet and Non-Traumatic Alternative

Other California municipalities further west have chosen to conduct more environmentally friendly and synchronized drone events for their celebrations, including Lake Tahoe, La Jolla, and Ocean Beach.

La Jolla and Ocean Beach are reportedly attempting a novel approach to celebrating the Fourth of July for the first time, according to the owner of the drone firm in charge of the La Jolla light show in San Diego County.

The owner of Drone Studios in California, Jeff Stein, stated that La Jolla had been without pyrotechnics for the previous five years.

A drone show is a solution, according to Stein, because it is quiet.

He clarified that drones could be used again. Given the large number of military personnel in San Diego, fireworks cause smoke, additional fallout like trash, and noise that upsets pets and people with PTSD.

According to Stein, the pixels of the drones scheduled to illuminate the coastal neighborhood will replicate pyrotechnics, display airborne movement, and tell stories via motion graphics-things that fireworks cannot achieve, AccuWeather reported.

Related Article: New Fireworks Regulations Require Use of Biodegradable Materials, July 4 Shows Canceled