Those expecting a quiet holiday weekend are probably engaging in wishful thinking. It’s almost a certainty that it will be the noisiest four days of the year. Fireworks, increasingly an integral part of almost every small and large July 4th celebration, guarantee that.
If it seems like there’s been an explosion in the use of fireworks in recent years, there’s a reason for that. Changes in state laws and updates to local consumer fireworks regulations in many jurisdictions have made the sale and use of fireworks by consumers far more widespread than in the past. Indeed, only four states – New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Massachusetts – totally ban consumer use of fireworks.
In Tennessee, the state does regulate the sale of fireworks to consumers, but the rules are not onerous. Individual counties can elect to enforce stricter rules, and some do. Still, consumers in many counties and municipalities – including most in this region – can use a variety of fireworks as long as they follow basic rules. That’s a change from the past, when many jurisdictions outlawed both the sale and use of fireworks.
The result is predictable during the holiday period that prompts more consumer sales of fireworks and more professional pyrotechnic displays than any other time of the year.
The Fourth of July is marked in many neighborhoods by a cacophony of sound. In most instances, the noise and light are more a nuisance than a real problem. In a few, though, the din is either so loud, so late or so long-lasting that it prompts calls to law enforcement officials. Chattanooga police officials report that fireworks on the Fourth prompt a lot of calls, but that few require intervention.
Public safety officials in the tri-state region agree that this year’s long holiday weekend is likely to produce extended exposure to fireworks. The noise and light will begin this evening and conclude on Monday. Be prepared.
There’s nothing wrong with fireworks if they are employed properly. Consumer use of them, though, must be accompanied by a heightened sense of responsibility. Not everyone exhibits such concern. Fireworks-related emergency room visits are a small, but consistent byproduct of the holiday.
Though fireworks are notably safer now than in 1976 when the Consumer Safety Products Commission set standards for the devices, the possibility for injury or worse can not be overstated or overlooked.
While most consumers use fireworks responsibly, there are a relative handful who choose to use them recklessly. Law enforcement agencies should target those individuals who purposefully ignore commonsensical rules and thus put people and property in danger. The long weekend might not be much quieter if they pursue the scofflaws, but it is almost certain to be safer.