Fire experts warn Mich. residents of fireworks safety

Fireworks light up the Michigan skies every Fourth of July season with varying degrees of color, sound and power but East Lansing fire marshal, Bob Pratt said a lot of these displays are breaking Michigan law.

“Anything that makes a loud bang, anything that leaves the ground or spins is illegal,” Pratt said.

Lady fingers, bottle rockets and screamers are among the types of fireworks that are illegal for citizens without permits, Pratt said.

If East Lansing residents want to legally put on a commercial fireworks display, they need to get a permit through the East Lansing City Council, fire department and police department, otherwise they could face legal sanctions, he said.

“We will at the very least confiscate any illegal fireworks that we find,” Pratt said. “We have issued tickets in the past; they are a criminal misdemeanor ticket, $500 and/or 90 days, and occasionally we turn stuff over to the state police. There can be felony charges depending on the quantity and size of the fireworks.”

Poppers, fountains and sparklers are all legal types of fireworks, he said.

There were 36 firework-related fires in 2003, resulting in nearly $3 million worth of damage, according to the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, estimates that one-third to one-half of Michigan’s 8,000 to 10,000 yearly wildfires are due to people burning debris.

Ken Alto, fire supervisor with forest mineral and fire management for the DNR, said that both legal and illegal fireworks can start fires.

“When conditions are dry enough, anything that creates a spark (can start a fire),” Alto said.

“The bigger the bang, the more flash, the better the chance of starting a fire, but a sparkler dropped in grass can start a fire if it is extremely dry.”

Fireworks should be treated like a campfire situation, Alto said.

An area should be cleaned to light off the fireworks, they shouldn’t be left unattended, an adult should always be present and they should be burned out before being cleaned up, he said.

Areas with pavement, asphalt and sand are ideal for firework launching, Alto said.

“The most important thing is that there aren’t small flammable fuels around where you are doing any fireworks, just because the smaller and finer it is, the easier it is to ignite,” he said.

Travis Bickle, an accounting graduate student, said state fireworks laws are unfair.

“I never obey fireworks laws,” Bickle said.

“I always go to the reservations to get (illegal) fireworks. We have to have (illegal) fireworks, the Fourth of July is coming up. If you don’t have (illegal fireworks), you aren’t celebrating our independence; it is a part of our culture.”

Published on Wednesday, June 25, 2008