Do-It-Yourself Fireworks Display: Play At Your Own Risk

After the sun set over the Fourth of July sky last summer, a group of eager and excited neighborhood children gathered in Annapolis resident Tom Sullivan’s pool, waiting for a new kind of fireworks celebration.

Sullivan and a friend had bought ground-based fireworks to celebrate America’s independence, but to spice things up, the 52-year-old father of two decided to add sod pallets to the makeshift pyrotechnic display.

As he lit the explosive, Sullivan wasn’t totally sure what would happen.

“Everybody was loving it but I was thinking, ‘Oh God, I hope this isn’t a big mistake,’” Sullivan said. “There was a chain reaction once I lit the first firework. I didn’t think that was going to happen.”

Fortunately, Sullivan said, it became obvious after about 20 seconds that it wasn’t going to get out of control, even though he was standing nearby clutching a water hose just in case.

Up-close fireworks can offer a unique thrill not found with the larger productions, Sullivan said, but they come with a certain amount of risk.

“Fireworks annually cause tens of millions of dollars in property damage, thousands of injuries as well as some deaths nationally,” said Chief Michael Cox, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. When it comes to do-it-yourself fireworks shows, a lot can go wrong, he said.

“Most of the injuries we see from fireworks come from the intense heat generated by the devices,” Cox said.

That’s a fact that Sullivan knew going into last year’s display.

“I wet the grass to ensure we wouldn’t have a fire. Those [ground-based fireworks] can burn pretty hot,” he said.

The Annapolis resident said his past experience with fireworks helped him learn to be safe, but Cox said there are many risks that may go unnoticed by the average Fourth of July participant, such as weather and structure materials.

“If it’s windy or dry, people need to be very careful when playing with fireworks,” Cox said.

Residents need to look no further than last February’s that Anne Arundel County to see what can happen when fire is mixed with a dry, windy climate.

“There’s also a big risk of property damage and bodily harm,” Cox said. “Fireworks can cause harm to the eyes, face, arms, legs, and leave disfiguring scars that can last a lifetime.”

Around the Fourth of July, the department sees an increase in fireworks-related calls, Cox said, but he doesn’t consider it a significant problem in Anne Arundel County.

County law only allows for ground-based sparkling devices, Cox said. The possession and discharge of projectile fireworks without a permit is illegal. Included in the list of banned fireworks are firecrackers, roman candles, signal lights, squibs and other projectile devises, Cox said.

Local tents that sell fireworks are regulated by fire marshals prior to opening and are also subject to random inspections throughout the summer, Cox said.

If residents take the time to ensure safety and plan appropriately, it is possible to have a fun, exciting sparkling display, Sullivan said.

“The ground devices are good because they’re not very vertical, maybe 8 to 10 feet but they make a lot of noise and get lots of sparks out,” Sullivan said. “It’s important to be thinking in terms of what can go wrong.”

While some residents may be disappointed that old-fashioned fireworks like roman candles are now illegal, Sullivan said it doesn’t dampen the excitement.

“Nothing was lost in our fireworks display last year by our lack of those things. We didn’t need to have bottle rockets,” he said. “The ground-based things are much safer and just as visually appealing.”