New Fireworks Laws are in Effect

By Rick Nagel 


Hey, community! 

Yes, this means you. 

And pass this along to your kids, please: Leave the fireworks to the experts.

Area police departments want to remind you to have a safe Fourth of July.

Don't mess it up with a tragedy, like a lost finger or an injury that will scar you for life. The police didn't write that last sentence, but after 30 years in the local news business, I want to tell you, too.

I've written and read too many stories about fireworks injuries. I don't want to write any in 2013.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the National Fire Protection Association recommend that people attend a professional fireworks display on July 4 to ensure a safe holiday. 

Illinois residents interested in shooting fireworks, either privately or as a professional display, need to be aware of the state's new fireworks regulations that recently went into effect.

The regulations divide fireworks displays into two categories: 

• Consumer fireworks, which include such items as fountains, repeaters and parachutes;
• Pyrotechnic displays, which use professional grade fireworks such as mortars, cake bundles, and ground displays that depict a picture. 

Both types of displays are only permitted in villages, municipalities and counties that have passed ordinances allowing such displays. 

It's important to note that several well-known types of fireworks, such as firecrackers, bottle rockets and Roman candles, are not allowed in Illinois under the new regulations. 

Novelty fireworks, such as snakes, sparklers, and party-poppers, are not regulated by the state, although municipalities have the authority to enact an ordinance prohibiting the sale and use of sparklers on public property.

While legal, sparklers present a serious danger because of the high temperature of the wire during and after its use. Sparklers burn at temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit (982 degrees Celsius) and remain extremely hot long after the sparks have stopped.

Many children are injured each year by sparklers. Children playing with novelty fireworks must be closely supervised by adults to prevent injury.