Brisk fireworks sales, a three-day weekend and good weather could mean an especially loud and smoke-filled New Year's Eve across the state.

Firecracker sales slowed after a "tremendous" opening day on Monday, but Daiei (USA) Inc. merchandise manager of non-food items Erwin Uyeda expects a sellout.

"We still have firecrackers but are running out of certain selections," Uyeda said yesterday.

Paperless firecrackers for which a city permit is not needed have become popular, he said.

The huge underground market of illegal fireworks in Hawai'i means permit sales are not an accurate gauge of how much activity there will be this year. It could be busier than usual because of the good weather and the long weekend.

New Year fireworks permit sales on O'ahu hit a five-year high of 12,662 in 2004. As of yesterday, 10,351 permits to purchase firecrackers had been sold, said Dennis Taga, satellite city hall division chief.

Taga expected sales of the $25 permits to approach last year's total, which generated $316,550 for the city's coffers.

BREATHING PROBLEMS

New Year's fireworks play, especially on O'ahu, fills the air with so much particulate pollution that the national America Lung Association has given Hawai'i a "D" grade for air quality leading up to and following the midnight blast.

The smokey conditions present a threat to people with breathing problems like Clara Ito, 58, of lower Maunlani Heights and Michelle Pantil, 34, of 'Ewa Beach.

"I feel fear because I know my lung is being taken away each year," said Ito, who uses an oxygen container to breathe. "It's the worse time of year for me, breathingwise. Even with the oxygen, I smell it."

Ito will sit in her living room with all the windows closed but leaves the front door slightly open for her dogs to look outside. When she begins to smell the smoke, Ito will go into an air-conditioned room to sit out the fireworks.

"It's no fun," Ito said, "but it's OK. I understand. I only worry about aerials."

Smoke from fireworks triggered Pantil's first asthma attack 15 years ago. Since then, she takes medication and wears a surgical mask to watch her husband and two children play fireworks.

"We grew up with it so I don't dread it; I look forward to it," Pantil said. "With the medication and precautions, I can enjoy it."

The good news is light trade winds are expected tomorrow, said lead forecaster Bob Farrell of the National Weather Service. "If there's no breeze, the smoke is going to hang," Farrell said.

DRY CONDITIONS

Farrell cautioned homeowners on O'ahu to make sure there's no dry brush around their homes. "We haven't had rain for three weeks and everything is dry so they should be very careful," Farrell said.

Regarding dry conditions, Kaua'i firefighters reported yesterday that they have responded to 15 brushfires this month, compared to no brushfires reported in December 2004.

Pulmonologist Dr. Stuart Sugihara advised that people with breathing problems should contact their doctors for an emergency plan and most important, have a supply of medicine available. "It's a different situation this year because it's a long weekend," Sugihara said.

Last New Year's Eve, city Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to 26 calls for breathing problems between 3:37 a.m. and 10:56 p.m. as compared to 18 responses, all for breathing difficulties, the year before.

Donnie Gates, assistant chief of operations for Honolulu EMS, said the breathing problems cannot be identified as fireworks-related but said the times of the reports indicate that fireworks played a big role.

He noted EMS response to traffic accidents and assaults is also high during the New Year's Eve and after-midnight period. "The way things are now, it's out of hand," said Gates, a 40-year EMS veteran who favors a fireworks ban.

The state, meanwhile, reported yesterday that fireworks-related injuries statewide doubled last year during the 2004-05 New Year's holiday compared to the year before. Emergency facilities treated 115 people and 89 percent were for burns, most of them from "flowers" and sparklers, which can burn at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Half of the people treated were children 13 and younger. The state said that as the number of permits issued increases, the reported injuries increase along with them.

CARE FOR PETS

Animal care is also an important consideration during heavy fireworks play.

Dr. Allen Takayama of 'Aina Haina Pet Hospital Inc. said residents should keep outdoor pets in the house, bathroom, garage or in a quiet area, possibly in a traveling case if one is available. Younger animals, three months or younger, should be kept in the house. Tranquilizers require prescriptions, he said.

Jacque LeBlanc of the Hawaiian Humane Society suggests that pets wear identification or a microchip tag with current information. More than 100 runaways were turned into the Humane Society between Dec. 20 of last year and Jan. 2, 2005. A runaway pet with proper ID can be held for nine days but one without ID will be put up for adoption within 48 hours, said LeBlanc.

Lt. Scott English of the Maui Fire Prevention office said the department may halt permit sales today because the inventory of firecrackers on the Valley Island is already maxed out because of the closure of Ooka Supermarket in Wailuku over the summer.

"Ooka Supermarket accounted for 50 to 60 percent of firecracker sales," English said.

A factor in the Big Island drop is that permits are being sold this year by the Fire Department whereas they could be purchased in previous years — 2,552 (2000), 2,655 (2001), 2,158 (2002) and 2,792 (2003) — through vendors.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.