If you don’t follow Wichita’s fireworks ordinance, you could get a $250 ticket
Wichita has some of the strictest firework regulations and most expensive tickets for violators in Sedgwick County, but that has not prevented problems, authorities said this week.
During the past five full years, there has been nearly $500,000 in property damage and more than 230 injuries from fireworks, according to the Wichita Fire Department.
The youngest injury was a 2-month-old.
“Even sparklers are a leading cause of injury, as they burn at temperatures of 1,300 to 2,000 degrees,” WFD Battalion Chief Jose Ocadiz said in a 2021 firework safety video, adding that “only adults (should) handle fireworks.”
Violators of the city ordinance can be fined $250 plus court costs.
Ocadiz said the flat fee for the fine started a couple of years ago. In the past five years, eight tickets were written in 2016; none in 2017; 138 in 2018; 59 in 2019; and 75 in 2020. He didn’t know why 2018 had such a surge in tickets.
Wichita’s firework restrictions include adults being fined for violations by children and property owners being responsible for mishaps on their property. Additionally, anything “labeled as shooting flaming balls” is not allowed, according to the city’s firework page.
“There will be increased enforcement focused on writing citations for violations and confiscating illegal fireworks,” the page says.
Bottle rockets and M80s are “extremely dangerous” and illegal in Kansas, according to the Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal. But sparklers, as noted by Ocadiz, pose dangers as well.
Nine hundred Americans were injured by sparklers in 2020, according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report released in June. Sixty-six percent of the estimated 15,600 firework-related injuries that resulted in emergency room visits occurred around July 4, the report said.
It was the most firework-related injuries of any year in national data going back to 2005.
There were an estimated 10,000 injuries in 2019, despite having a comparable amount of fireworks imported, with 255 million pounds of fireworks imported in 2020 and 255.8 million in 2019.
In 2020, 71% of the injuries were male and the largest age group for injuries was ages 25-44, where 35% of injuries occurred. Hand and fingers were the most likely body part injured, happening 30% of the time, and burns were the most common type of injury, occurring 44% of the time.
There were 18 deaths from fireworks, up from 12 in 2019.
The state fire marshal’s office offers several tips to safely use fireworks:
- Always ignite outdoors
- Have an adult supervise all fireworks activities
- Have a water supply nearby
- Light from a solid, flat and stable platform
- Light only one firework at a time
- Make sure firework debris is cooled off completely before disposing
- Never re-ignite malfunctioning fireworks
- Store fireworks in a cool, dry place
- Use a long-handled lighter
To handle the influx of firework-related calls around July 4, Sedgwick County 911 will use its non-emergency line from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. July 1-5. During that time, calls for parties, excessive noise and fireworks can be made to 316-290-1011.
Here are some of the regulations and penalties for Wichita area cities:
Fireworks can be launched from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 27 through July 1 and July 5; it’s 10 a.m. to midnight July 2-4.
Fireworks are allowed on private property or at the 13th Street Park, where they can be shot in designated areas during the allowable times on July 2-5.
Fireworks cannot be shot under a vehicle, on any public road or within 100 feet of a firework stand or where fireworks are stored.
The penalty for violating the city’s ordinance on fireworks is a fine up to $2,500 and no more than one year in jail.
Fireworks can be shot off 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4.
Fireworks must be detonated on private property.
People under the age of 14 need parental supervision to light off fireworks.
Violators can face up to a $500 fine and no more than 30 days in jail.
Fireworks can be purchased and shot from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 27 to July 2; purchased from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 3 and 4, while shooting fireworks goes from 8 a.m. to midnight on those days, and both are allowed again from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 5.
All fireworks approved to be sold in Derby can be shot off in the city.
Fireworks can’t be shot in the direction of a moving or stationary vehicle; within 100 feet of a firework stand or 100 feet from a gas station or building where gas or flammable liquids are sold.
Sky lanterns are not allowed. Any illegal fireworks can be confiscated and the person can receive up to a $500 fine.
Fireworks cannot be shot in the street or on any other public property.
Littering fines for firework debris can land you a fine between $250 to $4,000.
Fireworks can be fired from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 27 through July 3 and July 5. It’s extended to 11 p.m. on July 4.
Fireworks cannot be fired on any public space, including streets.
City ordinance says it is illegal for “any person to throw, cast or propel fireworks of any kind in the direction of or into the path of any animal, person or group of persons, or from, in the direction of or into any vehicle of any kind.”
Sky lanterns are not allowed.
Violators can be fined up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail.
Fireworks can be fired off from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. June 27 through July 2. It is extended to midnight on July 3-4.
Fireworks must be shot on private property.
“Chinese lanterns” are not allowed.
Violators can be fined up to $250.
Fireworks can be shot off from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. June 27 through July 5.
Fireworks must be shot off from private property or public space specifically designated for fireworks.
“It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, cast or propel Consumer Fireworks of any kind in the direction of or in the path of any animal, person or group of persons, or from and in the direction of or into any vehicle of any kind,” the city ordinance says.
The police department is allowed to confiscate illegal fireworks.
Fireworks may be fired from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. June 27 to July 2 and 8 a.m. to midnight July 3-4.
Fireworks must be lit on private property.
Residents under the age of 14 who light off fireworks must be “under direct supervision of (their) parent/guardian or adult family member,” the city ordinance says.
Violators of the city ordinance can face up to a $250 fine, forfeiture of fireworks and no more than 15 hours of community service.
Fireworks can be sold and ignited from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 27 to July 3 and 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. July 4-5.
Sky lanterns are not allowed.
It’s a misdemeanor to violate the city code on fireworks.