Don’t let your fireworks fun get out of hand

Along with barbecues, patriotic banners and songs of freedom, bursts of brightly colored fireworks accompany annual Fourth of July celebrations.

Jacob Marietta, manager of Wholesale Fireworks, said the nation’s birthday is “by far” his favorite holiday.

Wholesale Fireworks is one of three distributors selling fireworks in Wichita beginning on Monday. TNT Fireworks out of Alabama and Flash Fireworks out of Saint Francis, Kan., will also have stands, making for a total of around 30 tents in the city.

Marietta said Wholesale Fireworks will have around 45 to 50 locations in the metro area, with 25 inside the Wichita city limits, and he expects a good turnout.

“As long as the weather upholds like it looks like it’s going to, it should be a great year, (especially with a) four-day weekend,” Marietta said.

Know the laws

Each city has its own regulations regarding fireworks, and unincorporated areas have different rules. Authorities say the best way to make sure you’re following the law is to “shoot them where you buy them.”

“We have laws here (in Wichita) for our specific use and our kind of situation, and our situation is different from (other cities),” said Stuart Bevis, Wichita Fire Department battalion chief of fire prevention. “It’s a safety issue, and it’s not being a good neighbor issue when you violate that.”

Approved fireworks can be sold in Wichita from Monday through July 5, Bevis said. Residents can discharge them between 6 a.m. and midnight during the same period.

Anything that shoots farther than 6 feet in any direction is illegal, Bevis said. For a complete list of each distributor’s approved fireworks, visit the fire department’s page on the City of Wichita’s website, www.wichita.gov.

Outside the city limits, unincorporated areas have their own rules that allow the use of larger, more powerful fireworks.

In the unincorporated areas of Sedgwick County, people can use all fireworks classified as “consumer” fireworks by the Department of Transportation except some rockets, according to county laws. They can be used only from Friday through July 4 between 8 a.m. and midnight, said Sedgwick County fire marshal Daniel Wegner.

It is illegal, however, to buy or sell fireworks in the unincorporated areas of the county, Wegner said.

In unincorporated Butler County, the period of use is longer. Fireworks can be discharged from Monday to July 5 between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. on a user’s private property, said David Alfaro, Butler County director of community development. On the Fourth, the hours extend from 10 a.m. to midnight.

As in Sedgwick County, the sale of fireworks in unincorporated areas in Butler County is prohibited, Alfaro said.

“The one thing I would ask people to do is that … if you buy it within a respective community here in Butler County that you shoot them in that respective community as well,” Alfaro said.

Safety first

Every year, the holiday brings injuries, said Bevis.

“Even using legal fireworks, you assume a certain amount of risk,” Bevis said.

In 2015, 32 Wichitans ages 2 to 52 sought medical treatment related to fireworks, he said.

The leading cause of injury? Mortars, which are illegal in Wichita, Bevis said.

“Celebrate, be safe, have fun, but please do it within the rules and the laws so that everyone can be safe and have fun,” he said.

Last year, the city had about 22 fire incidents directly related to fireworks from June 27 to July 5 and an estimated loss of just over $182,000 during the same period, Bevis said. That number was up from $53,000 in 2014, which Bevis attributed to significant damage to at least one house.

Normally, though, grass, tree and trash fires are the most common.

The Sedgwick County non-emergency Fourth of July complaint line – 316-290-1011 – received 823 calls last year during its operational period of July 1-4, Bevis said. The majority of the calls were noise complaints.

To establish a safety presence, Wichita fire crews will patrol the city July 1-4 to try to get a handle on illegal fireworks and help maintain safety, Bevis said.

Marietta, the Wholesale Fireworks manager, said some of his safety tips are to “always have a sober shooter, be smart and courteous with your neighbors (and) have a plan.” He said running sprinklers can help, and eye and hand protection is “extremely” important.

“The main thing is make sure everyone’s smart and respectful of their neighbors and friends,” Marietta said. “It’s supposed to be a fun, good-time holiday.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2016 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Don’t let your fireworks fun get out of hand."