The Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services, Frederick City Police Department, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and Emergency Communications is encouraging families to attend professional, public fireworks displays this Independence Day. Attending a public fireworks display is the only safe way to honor our tradition, our shared values, and our hopes for a healthy future. We urge residents to take extra precaution when using fireworks. Every year, fireworks start approximately 18,500 fires and cause around $43 million in direct property damage nationwide. Fireworks are responsible for an estimated 12,900 emergency room injuries each year.
We also wanted to remind you that ground based sparklers are the ONLY legal and permitted ‘fireworks’ that can be used in Frederick County. If you plan to celebrate using sparklers, please remember the following safety tips.
- Light one sparkler at a time and never relight a dud– If too many sparklers are lit at one time, it can cause confusion about which ones are active, leading to possible injury or fire. Duds can malfunction and explode improperly if you try to relight them. It is best to douse them with water to ensure they are fully extinguished.
- Beware of allowing young children to play with sparklers– Fireworks or sparklers can reach temperatures of more than 1200 degrees, which can cause third degree burns. For a fun and flame-free way to light up the night, consider picking up a few glow sticks for young kids to play with.
- Keep pets indoors – Pets can become distressed when sparklers/fireworks are launched and this can create more confusion and chaos, increasing the risk they will run loose or get injured. Pets should be kept inside and as far away as possible from fireworks.
- Keep a fire extinguisher nearby – Be careful of how you dispose of sparklers and make sure you always have a fire extinguisher or water hose on hand. Once sparklers have stopped working, they are still extremely hot and need to be cooled off with water or a fire extinguisher so they can be disposed of properly.
- Only purchase approved sparklers – APPROVED sparklers will note the following:
Any residents found to be celebrating with fireworks other than the approved sparklers can be issued a citation with subsequent fines and all illegal products will be confiscated. In 2020 the local officials responded to just over 200 firework complaints from citizens within Frederick County on July 3rd and 4th. In some of these complaints illegal fireworks were confiscated.
