Fire Marshal: Leave The Fireworks Show to Professionals

By Gary Jeanfaivre 

There's only one kind of fireworks that Connecticut residents should be lighting off this Fourth of July weekend — legal ones.

And those are basically sparklers and fountains, says Woodbridge Fire Marshal Joseph Cappucci, a Wallingford resident.

"If people really want to see good fireworks they should go to a professional show," he says.

Cappucci says safety is the overriding concern when it comes to fireworks. Despite warnings, every year people end up in the emergency room with burns from fireworks, he says. And, worse, houses have caught fire from fireworks.

Cappucci speaks from experience. A 27-year firefighter veteran, he served as the fire marshal in New Haven before taking the job in Woodbridge in March.