With the Fourth of July holiday ready to explode, area fire and police officials are warning residents to be aware of rules on consumer use of fireworks.
“The main thing I’m suggesting is that people buy their fireworks from a licensed retail vendor who’s been approved by the city,” said Lt. Tony Falwell with the D.C. fire marshal’s office.
The biggest problem is the sale of illegal fireworks from vehicles, Lt. Falwell said. “We’ve already confiscated a trunk full of illegal fireworks that were being sold from a vehicle” in Northeast on Friday, he said.
The District, Maryland and Virginia have varying fireworks laws.
Although sparklers, snappers, snakes, party poppers and ground-based sparkling fireworks are legal in Maryland, the city of Baltimore and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have overriding laws that prohibit all fireworks. Bottle rockets, Roman candles and devices that explode are prohibited throughout the state.
Like Maryland, Virginia provides general fireworks guidelines for the state, but “each locality has the authority to ban any or all fireworks,” said Ed Altizer, Virginia’s state fire marshal.
Virginia permits sparklers, fountains, pharaoh’s serpents, pinwheels and whirligigs. It prohibits firecrackers, skyrockets, torpedoes and other fireworks that explode, rise into the air, fire projectiles or travel along the ground.
Arlington County and Falls Church specifically cite as illegal fireworks that emit flames farther than 12 feet. No fireworks are permitted in Alexandria.
Anyone in Virginia possessing unapproved fireworks faces misdemeanor charges, a fine of up to $2,500 and/or one year in jail, Marshal Altizer said.
Maryland violators may face misdemeanor charges and a fine of up to $250, or of up to $1,000 for selling.
“We’ve had problems from time to time,” Marshal Altizer said. “There are states close to us that sell fireworks that are in their states legal but are not legal in Virginia.”
It’s a problem similar to that in the District.
In the District, torches, box fire, fountains, cones, dip sticks, colored lights and sparklers shorter than 20 inches are legal, but firecrackers or any fireworks that explode, shoot projectiles or move after placed on the ground are not.
Each year, the fire marshal’s office tests fireworks and publishes an approved list, so that officials know what products are being used and what they are designed to do, Lt. Falwell said.
But licensed retailers have been caught selling illegal fireworks out of their car in front of their stores, he said.
“We haven’t had any arrests in [recent years], but we’ve confiscated over the past three years over 25 cases of illegal fireworks and more than 1,100 pieces of illegal product,” Lt. Falwell said. “Our goal is to get the consistent violators of the law.”
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