THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2008
Firework Crackdown Includes Common Items
Legal in most of Illinois, but not legal in Park Ridge, Fire Lt. Jeff Sorensen hopes a local ordinance helps protect people from fireworks.
"My whole thing is just life safety," Sorensen said about the law.
The ordinance bans anything that produces "a visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion or deflagration or detonation." That includes items like sparklers or snakes that are legal under state law.
"Anything that could hurt people or start fires," Sorensen explained.
Sparklers burn at 1800 degrees and snakes, while cooler than sparklers, still have the potential to light nearby materials on fire.
He is currently distributing a letter to city businesses warning them of the law and the possible $500 fine for selling any illegal materials.
"We're hand-carrying it to businesses in town that have the potential of selling these things," he said.
"I would feel bad for them getting a fine if I didn't see them one time beforehand."
Sorensen explained there have been fires in city trees from home displays in the past, raising the potential of burning branches falling onto roofs.
There have also been reports of injuries from fireworks, including the sparklers that parents often give to their children.
He said a parent once told him her 2-year-old was too smart to be burned from the 1800-degree rod in his hand.
"It's not about being smart; just don't give them the opportunity to hurt themselves," he explained.
He doesn't foresee violations of the law from the business community after handing out the letter.
"I'll probably do a couple checks of the businesses," he said. "We'll also rely on anyone from other city departments that spot it."
The fire department does most of the business enforcement while the police enforce the law on individuals.
"That's usually left to the police department, but we will combine with them," Sorensen said. "A lot of the times, that becomes public education."
He added that he doesn't worry about non-combustible noisemakers like snap caps or party crackers.
"If it can't hurt anybody, I'm not going to go after it," he said.