People celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend will go to firework displays around the region. Some, however, will try to have their own displays at home, but officials say to leave it to the professionals.
“Just go to the college [tonight] and enjoy,” said Herkimer Fire Chief John Spanfelner.
Fireworks are illegal to use or own in New York state by anyone other than a licensed professional. Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island also have laws banning fireworks. Still, people are able to bring in fireworks from states where they are legal, such as Pennsylvania where “essentially all consumer fireworks” are allowed, according to the National Council on Firework Safety.
Spanfelner said the department has received calls for isolated incidents involving fireworks. He noted two incidents about 20 years ago on South Main Street where illegal fireworks caused a porch fire and a house fire.
Ilion Village Police Chief Tim Parisi said they have had a “fair number” of incidents with fireworks in the village, leading to arrests and confiscation, but nothing significant.
“The reason they are illegal is they are a hazard. They are obviously dangerous and better left to the professionals,” he said.
Linda Harty, manager of emergency services at Little Falls Hospital, said the most common kind of fireworks-related injuries she has seen are cuts and burns to the hands and face. She said sparklers can also cause for foreign objects to get caught in the eye.
“Typically the common causes are from use of sparklers or little, tiny firecrackers,” she said.
Harty said one of the most lethal combinations is when someone who is intoxicated tries to set-off a firecracker.
People can watch fireworks today on the Herkimer County Community College campus as part of the Community Independence Day Celebration. The event will begin at 5 p.m. and will include a Brooks chicken barbecue and a photography show. Classic rock music from The Posers will begin at 7 p.m. and fireworks will begin at dusk. The show is presented by the HCCC Alumni Association.
After the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs baseball game on Friday, a fireworks display will take place at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls. The village of Ilion will also host a firework display at the end of Ilion Days on July 17 at Dave Whalen Park.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, thousands of people are injured while using consumer fireworks every Fourth of July holiday.
•The risk of fireworks injury is two-and-a-half times as high for children ages 10 to 14 as for the general population.
•In 2008, there were 7,000 fireworks-related injuries in U.S. hospital emergency rooms and estimated 22,500 fires due to fireworks. These fires resulted in one civilian death, 40 civilian injuries and $42 million in direct property damage.
•Consumer fireworks include sparklers and firecrackers. The tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of more that 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to cause third-degree burns.
