Celebrants urged to cool it when it comes to fireworks

By MARC KOVAC

news@vindy.com

COLUMBUS

The state fire marshal is urging Ohioans to attend community fireworks displays rather than put on their own backyard shows over the holiday weekend.

And the office also is reminding those who choose to buy fireworks that they have 48 hours to take them out of the state or face criminal penalties.

“The best way for Ohioans to prevent fireworks injuries is to attend a licensed, professional fireworks exhibition,” said Donald Cooper, interim state fire marshal. “Keep in mind that even trick and novelty fireworks, like sparklers, are inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury.”

Consumer-class fireworks, including bottle rockets and Roman candles, can be purchased by anyone 18 or older, but they cannot be used in Ohio and must be taken over the state’s borders within 48 hours of purchase. The illegal possession or discharge of such fireworks can result in a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail.

It is legal to use trick or novelty items, including sparklers, snakes and snaps.

But even those items can prove dangerous; according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Council, fireworks caused an estimated 7,000 injuries nationwide in 2008, including seven deaths. Of those, almost half affected children younger than 15. About 800 were caused by sparklers.

“Every legally available backyard firework has been associated with serious injury and death,” said Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Although some people mistakenly believe that backyard fireworks are safe if only adults handle them, our research shows that one-quarter of fireworks-related injuries to children occur to bystanders. These children were not using the fireworks themselves, and yet they were still injured. This tells us that children are at risk of injury by simply being in the vicinity of backyard fireworks use.”

Independence Day is among the busiest holidays of the year for Ohio firefighters, who last year responded to nearly 300 calls July 3 and 4, said Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the state fire marshal’s office.