Pennsylvania’s fireworks law needs to be revisited
Fireworks are plenty of fun on the Fourth of July, when you are sitting in a lawn chair and the night sky is being illuminated by the rockets鈥� red glare and the bombs bursting in air.
Fireworks are a lot less fun when one of them sets your neighbor鈥檚 house ablaze or blows off somebody鈥檚 hand.
And, unfortunately, accidents caused by consumer fireworks have become more and more common as Pennsylvania and other states have loosened laws surrounding their use. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 136 deaths as a result of fireworks from 2005 to 2020. In 2020 alone, more than 15,000 people were taken to emergency rooms to be treated for burns, lacerations and other injuries caused by pyrotechnic mishaps. An 8-year-old boy died in York County in a house fire last year caused by fireworks, and a Wilkes-Barre family lost their home after a firework went astray and landed on their porch.
A hefty price tag is also attached to irresponsible amateurs playing around with fireworks. More than 1,300 structure fires occur every year on average because of fireworks, and there are more than 18,000 fires overall, costing $43 million in property damage.
Let鈥檚 not forget, too, that fireworks being set off deep into the night can be plenty annoying for neighbors who would like to get some sleep and not have to worry that a skyrocket is going to land on their roof.
In 2017, Pennsylvania made fireworks beyond sparklers and novelties available for purchase so it could reap the benefits of a 12% tax attached to them, on top of a 6% sales tax. Now, however, a measure approved by the state House earlier this month would restrict the use of consumer fireworks from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with the exceptions of New Year鈥檚 Eve and July 2 to 4, and increase fines from $100 to $500 for those who violate fireworks regulations. Perhaps more importantly, it would give individual municipalities the right to place their own restrictions on the use of consumer fireworks.
The bill was approved on a bipartisan basis, and also would direct the revenue generated by fireworks sales to fire and emergency services and away from the commonwealth鈥檚 general fund.
As a general rule, it鈥檚 best to leave the fireworks to professionals. But if they are going to be available, we should allow municipalities the latitude to prohibit their use if officials believe they will pose a danger to residents, particularly those in densely packed neighborhoods.
State Sen. Ryan Aument, a Republican from Lancaster County, explained last year, 鈥淓very year around major holidays, I hear from my constituents who are rightfully frustrated by the unenforceability of the expanded fireworks law in our state, and I agree with them. We must fix this law to keep our communities and first responders safe.鈥�
The 2017 fireworks went too far in making consumer fireworks widely available in Pennsylvania. For safety鈥檚 sake, particularly as we approach the Fourth of July, a reset is in order.