Fireworks safety is explosive issue as July 4th nears

The Fourth of July will arrive with people and communities anxious to celebrate the first summer holiday after pandemic restrictions have been lifted. Backyard barbecues, family gatherings, parades and street fests are back after a year lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And yes, there will be fireworks causing concern in equal measure to anticipation.

Since 2017 when the state Legislature passed Act 43 allowing individuals to purchase and possess large fireworks, fire officials have been lobbying for more stringent safety measures to curb private misuse of the exploding devices.

The state fire commissioner has launched a social media campaign “Celebrate Safely PA!” that he announced in a press conference June 17 at Allentown’s Mack South Fire Station.

Commissioner Bruce Trego urged residents to take the necessary steps to protect both their loved ones and their property.

“We say it every year because it’s true; fireworks are not toys,” he said. “There are many simple precautions we can take to ensure a fireworks display doesn’t result in an unnecessary trip to an emergency room.”

Also speaking at the event, Dan Dillard of the Burn Prevention Network said consumer fireworks sales nearly doubled in 2020 when compared to 2019, and fireworks-related injuries increased along with that surge. There were just under 10,000 injuries in 2019 and more than 15,000 in 2020, Dillard said. There was $125 million in property damage caused by fireworks in 2020, he said.

Local fire officials throughout the region are well aware of those increases.

Within days of the Allentown press conference, an Emmaus man was critically injured when fireworks he had purchased months before exploded inside his pickup truck, according to The Associated Press. And in the city of Reading, fireworks set off on a former textile building rooftop caught fire, threatening a nearby row of townhomes, the Reading Eagle reported.

Reading Fire Chief William Stoudt Jr. did not mince words: “This just goes on to show the irresponsibility of some of our state legislators enacting the legislation that allowed for the purchasing of this.” People need to “understand you can’t be launching these things in the city,” he said.

In fact, Reading has a city ordinance forbidding the use of fireworks, but it is difficult to enforce when buying and possessing them is legal under state law.

“I understand certain people have a fixation with it,” he said. “We see the other side of it and the after-effects — the houses on fire, the people that can lose fingers and have lifechanging injuries.”

Reading fire officials are particularly aware. In 2019 fireworks caught the roof of Amanda E. Stout Elementary School on fire. While crews were battling that fire a second fireworks-related fire occurred on the other side of the city, and people were setting off fireworks next to fire trucks.

A strong proponent of overturning Act 48, state Sen. Judy Schwank of Berks County tells that anecdote a lot.

Schwank has introduced legislation that would reinstate the previous fireworks regulations, eliminating consumer access to professionalgrade fireworks. But she realizes it’s an uphill battle.

The larger problem, and the one fire officials are working to drive home this July 4th is that people need to understand they’re playing with fire.

The types of rocket devices sold are dangerous to handle by people other than trained professionals. They’re not meant for backyards, rooftops or sidewalks. They are not intended for a partying thrill or to impress the neighbors.

The words of caution and slogans for prevention are not intended to take away the fun of the holiday — there are plenty of safe smaller sparklers and minor fireworks for celebrations. And what better way to end a gathering with family or friends than by enjoying one of the many professional displays that will light up the sky in towns around the region?

This year as we move forward from a time of much loss, the value of safety on Independence Day should be treasured. Abusing the privilege will not lead to greater independence, but instead can cause great regret.

Celebrate safely for your sake and your neighbors’.