Windham Works on Town Fireworks Policy

The Windham Board of Selectmen is taking a look at the town fireworks policy this year, specifically looking at how Class "C," or consumer fireworks are going to be policed going forward.

According to Fire Chief Tom McPherson, an ordinance was adopted in 1989. He said the policy was repealed some time ago and that the town now hopes to work on the policy given recent incidents that have happened in other towns.

In July 2012, a household on Dodge Road in Pelham saw almost a dozen people injured. That house reportedly had about 90 boxes of fireworks.

According to McPherson, the goal in Windham isn't to stop the use of fireworks, nor does he think that the ordinance written in 1989 did that.

McPherson said that the goal with that ordinance was to speak volumes as to how to properly use fireworks.

Right now, Windham has a permitting process for Class "C" fireworks displays, adopted in 2010. For Class "B" shows, which are the larger displays used for events like Windham's Town Day, the town is much stricter due to state statute regulations.

McPherson and Assistant Fire Chief Ed Morgan bounced ideas back and forth with Windham Selectmen Monday. Many of the board members believed that the town has to avoid "overkill" as the fireworks ordinance is worked on.

Selectman Ross McLeod gave the example of sparklers, and how it wouldn't make sense for police to be contacted for someone waiving a sparkler around in their yard.

McPherson assured that there is an option to put in some exceptions to the rule.

Another option would be for the town to simply do away with the ordinance and just go based on state statute, which he McPherson said he wouldn't support.

"Suffice it to say I think we need to have something in the book that regulates some of it without being so restrictive."

A committee of Windham Police Capt. Mike Caron, Town Clerk Nicole Merrill and Community Development Director Laura Scott are joining McPherson to review many policy tweaks, changes and adoptions this year. He said the goal is to adopt the fireworks policy changes in 2014.