Officials with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, including leaders from various fire departments, showed reporters what can happen if a person mishandles store bought or illegal fireworks, and why these devices each summer cause thousands of injuries and a handful of deaths.
At the Montgomery County Fire Training facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland, officials blew up a hard plastic prosthetic hand and a watermelon, sending debris flying, to show the fatal damage a person would sustain if they had an illegal fireworks device, such as an M-80, blow up near them.
With both explosions, reporters were kept a safe distance away, but parts of the plastic hand and melon could be seen 20 feet away.
In 2024, nearly 15,000 people suffered injuries and more than 10 died as a result of illegal fireworks.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief Corey Smedley explained the purpose of the annual demonstration is to ensure “people enjoy their independence and the Fourth of July” in a responsible manner.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Pete Piringer and others attending are encouraging people to celebrate the holiday, but to do it safely. Instead of having fireworks displays in your backyard, which are potentially dangerous, they said it is better to attend one of the numerous public events, which are much larger and run by professionally trained pyrotechnic experts.
“For their safety and for the wellness of their families and pets, we encourage them to go to the public displays of fireworks,” he said.
Officials also showed what can happen when a careless individual uses a sparkler, a popular device that burns at 2,000 degrees — hot enough to melt medal. The demonstration showed how a person’s shirt could catch fire and prompt severe burns within a matter of seconds.
Another concern officials have is the increase in fire calls on July Fourth. D.C. Fire Marshal Ed Kauffman said his department anticipates a jump in both small and large fires as a result of fiery debris from illegal fireworks displays.
“So, when they go up and they burst and the hot ash and the heated fireworks come down, you will hear that night that our calls for fires have gone up,” he said. “Dumpsters, brush fires, house fires, like what we saw recently on Bowen Road — that’s a secondary effect, on top of the injuries.”
There are different laws for D.C., Maryland and Virginia concerning the purchase and use of fireworks.
Piringer said personal fireworks are illegal in Maryland’s Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, as well as the City of Baltimore. The only fireworks allowed are permitted displays by licensed professionals.
Consumer fireworks are also illegal in the City of Alexandria in Virginia and several other municipalities in the area also have similar regulations.
In the municipalities that allow fireworks, none may be shot into the air or explode in the air. There are also restrictions on the size of the sparks or flames the fireworks can create. Many local governments have placed restrictions to 12 feet, but Fairfax County allows for a maximum spark of 16.4 feet.
Arlington County officials also said no fireworks device may leave the ground, and that Prince William and Loudoun counties have limits on fireworks’ lateral movement.
Kauffman said officials allow fireworks to be sold, and said that stands selling fireworks before the Fourth of July holiday have approved permits and have been inspected to make sure they comply with the city’s ordinances.
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