Summer is here: Enjoy the season safely

As the summer season officially begins this weekend, thoughts turn to outdoor celebrations and gettogethers. But this year is different: The COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain the coronavirus have postponed or cancelled large gatherings such as community festivals and annual Fourth of July parades.

Instead, families will be gathering with friends in smaller groups, opting for backyard barbecues and their own festivities that avoid exposure to large numbers of people.

While the restrictions against large gatherings will help protect us from spread of the disease and a resurgence we don’t want to see after months of sacrifice to reduce exposure to the disease and slow its spread, we have some concerns about these backyard celebrations. The temptation by backyard “entertainers” to use fireworks intended for professional displays is a concern, especially as we approach July 4th.

Last year offers examples of what can go wrong. On July 4th and in the weeks preceding and following that day, careless revelers put themselves and neighbors in danger by lighting powerful explosives in densely populated areas not suited for the activity.

It caused problems all over the region, most notably in Reading, where fireworks ignited the roof of Amanda E. Stout Elementary

School. The fire caused $50,000 in damage to the school and could have caused a catastrophe were it not for the heroic work of city firefighters.

In Luzerne County, an 11-year-old boy died in an early July house fire blamed on fireworks.

Much of the blame lies with a change in state regulations that took effect in 2018. Pennsylvania

now allows the sale of aerial fireworks and other pyrotechnics considerably more powerful than what the law had allowed in the past. The move was intended to generate tax revenue.

There’s widespread agreement among first responders that the new law led to an unmitigated disaster in the first two summers it was in effect.

Apart from the safety issue, the biggest problem with excessive fireworks use is the lack of consideration for neighbors.

Municipalities all over the state are flooded with complaints each summer as residents light noisy fireworks late into the night, night after night, making even typically quiet neighborhoods feel like war zones. It poses a serious problem for people who have young children, sensitive animals or medical conditions, as well as those who simply have to go to work early the next morning and would like to get some sleep.

State Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, last year proposed allowing municipalities to pass ordinances governing the manner, time and location of the use of consumer fireworks.

“While I’d prefer to ban all of the higher powered fireworks, I recognize that a statewide repeal is likely not going to happen,” Schwank said in an announcement last summer.

“But this legislation would allow local municipalities to impose ordinances such as what days and at what times they will allow fireworks.”

The proposal apparently never got any traction, and fireworks enforcement continues under state control.

At the start of this summer season, we appreciate the need to get out and enjoy some of the traditions that were missed during a spring of stay-home orders, face masks and six-foot distances from others.

The virus is still present and neither social distancing nor small groups should be abandoned.

But safety takes many forms and that includes the use of fireworks.

Don’t get carried away and ignore the dangers of explosives to yourself, those around you and your neighbors. Highpowered fireworks are not meant for backyards or amateurs.

Save the big stuff for the professional displays, even it means waiting several months or until next year. The risk to health and personal injury go hand in hand. Don’t risk one catastrophe while avoiding another; it’s just not worth it.