Sheriff: Leave Fireworks to the Professionals

The Fourth of July is a time of festivity and fireworks. While many professional firework displays will be taking place throughout Monmouth County, the Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents that fireworks are dangerous and illegal.

“The result of fireworks being handled in the wrong way can cause serious injuries,” Sheriff Shaun Golden said in a press release. “It’s important to know that the danger is not only limited to general Fourth of July fireworks and that even sparklers should be kept away from children, as they can easily cause harm.”

Between June 22, 2012 and July 22, 2013, more than 5,000 consumers were treated in hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A report by the National Fire Protection Association shows that 9,600 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2011.

In 2012, during the weeks before and following the Fourth of July holiday, the Monmouth County 9-1-1 Communications Center received 15 emergency calls related to fireworks. There were 20 emergency calls in 2011, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

“It’s our intent to have the number decrease even more this year by sending the message out to stay clear of fireworks,” Golden said. “Let the professionals handle the fireworks and celebrate America responsibly and safe.”

The NFPA report also shows that fireworks started approximately 17,800 fires in 2011, resulting in an estimated 40 civilian injuries and $32 million in direct property damage.

“Our professional and volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders already have enough on their plates. Let’s help them remain focused by avoiding creating fires through the use of fireworks,” Freeholder John P. Curley said.

The Sheriff’s Office cited New Jersey Criminal Code Title 21:2-6, which states, “It shall be unlawful to manufacture, sell, transport or use dangerous fireworks within the state.”

Dangerous fireworks are defined in Title 21:2-3 as:

• “Toy torpedoes containing more than 5 grains of an explosive composition.”
• “Paper caps containing more than .35 grains of explosive composition.”
• “Firecrackers or salutes exceeding 5 inches in length or ¾ inch in diameter.”
• “Cannons, canes, pistols or other devices for use otherwise than with paper caps.”
• “Any fireworks containing a compound of yellow or white phosphorous and mercury.”
• “Any fireworks that contain a detonator or blasting cap.”   
• “Fireworks compositions that ignite spontaneously or undergo marked decomposition when subjected for 48 consecutive hours to a temperature of 167 degrees Fahrenheit.”
• “Fireworks that can be exploded en masse by a blasting cap placed in one of the units.’
• “Fireworks such as sparklers or fuses, containing a match tip or head, or similar igniting point or surface, unless each individual tip, head or igniting point or surface is thoroughly covered and securely protected from accidental contact or friction with any other surface.”
• “Fireworks containing an ammonium salt and a chlorate.”