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I love fireworks. I REALLY REALLY love fireworks. I love to shoot them, I love to watch them being shot and I love the professional fireworks displays; especially when they are timed to go off with music. I also have a great deal of respect for their potential. Under extreme dry conditions I do not shoot off my own fireworks and go to professional, or at least to a location where I can see them from a distance.

A great number of cities have ordnances against fireworks being shot off by individuals, Some don't allow them at all - others allow certain fireworks. For example our city has a slogan regarding fireworks "If it goes up or blows up it's illegal" Also you may only set off the Fourth.

Oddly enough in Western Washington we're under extremely dry conditions. You think of Seattle and all the rain but it has been dry. We had a 29 day of no rain, a couple of days rain and we're back to no rain. There have already been a couple of homes destroyed in fires caused by fireworks and in the town where Don works a 100 unit apartment complex under construction burned and it was believed that fire was caused by fireworks. Thankfully it was under construction and nobody lost their home and the only injury was a police officer who got hit by a car paying attention to the fire, He wasn't hurt much =- treated and released.

So here's my delima. While I normally wouldn't turn in the neighbors for shooting the "illegal" fireworks - this year I feel really apprehensive about it. We've got lots of trees, some areas are still rather wooded with limbs still down from winter before last. Grass is really dry and lots of dead underbrush. So I thought what do other BN'ers do about do about illegal fireworks in their area especially under extreme dry conditions - would you call the cops.

I'd call, laws are there for a reason.

Let's see...I've had a roof set on fire by a bottle rocket, almost been hit by a bottle rocket and have lived my entire life in a state routinely decimated by fire, many started by a$$hats with illegal fireworks.

You bet your a$$ I'd call.

If I called every time someone shot off fireworks in my neighborhood, I'd never be off the phone. 2 years ago I sat on my back porch and watched the people one block over shoot fireworks off from the middle of the road......FOR 4 HOURS!!!!

I'd sit in a lawn chair with the hose and enjoy the show.

popcornjack wrote:If I called every time someone shot off fireworks in my neighborhood, I'd never be off the phone. 2 years ago I sat on my back porch and watched the people one block over shoot fireworks off from the middle of the road......FOR 4 HOURS!!!!

We have the same problem and most of the time it's impossible to tell where they're coming from. So I'd call if I could pinpoint a location...how's that?

"Legal" fireworks can be just as dangerous. Roughly 40 years ago tomorrow, we went to a fancy schmancy party at one of the ginormous homes that overlook the Rose Bowl. Come showtime, we all grabbed blankets and walked across the street to sit on the side of the brushy hill to watch the fireworks. Some Einstein handed out sparklers to all us kids. One kid dropped his into the brush and the entire hillside went "POOF". Kids were screaming and all the dads were grabbing kids like footballs under each arm and running across the street with them to get them to safety. It was chaos, but fortunately other than some singeing, no one was hurt and no homes were lost. I still can picture it clearly. It did bring about a major fear of sparklers though. I never touched one again until the mid 90s at my best friend's rehearsal dinner on Lake Michigan on the 4th of July weekend.

Connie:
Legal or not, if you're the slightest bit apprehensive about it, I think you should call.
They're fireworks, and, as such, they're dangerous.
If you feel your safety is in jeporday, or that of your residence, you should call.
Poice Officers don't get paid to sit on their rear ends and play on the computer while gorging on pizza and diet pepsi all night. (At least that's what the taxpayers here tell me).

Living in Colorado, a state that almost always has fireworks bans because we're so dry this time of year, I'd definitely call. Sh*t like that can burn down neighborhoods.

This is the first year in a long time we have been able to purchase fireworks (nothing that leaves the ground is legal in CO). That's why God invented Wyoming.

Wisconsin seems to be pretty much the same: If it goes up into the air or explodes, it's illegal to discharge them without being a registered member of a pyrotechnic organization and having appropriate permits as to specific time and location for their use. The kicker, though, is that it is *NOT* illegal to be in possession of these things. in other words, you can have 'em; you just can't play with 'em.

You get three guesses — if you really think you need that many — as to how well *THAT* works.....

As was pointed out before, if it was possible to pinpoint the source (and I had a reasonable expectation that the shooters would still be there) I'd call. Of course, as I dialed the little voice of reality inside of me would be whispering, "Like the cops are going to take time to do anything about *THIS*!"

Heck, when someone cut the cable lock and stole the two propane tanks off the tongue of our camping trailer, they didn't even send an officer out; they mailed us a "do-it-yourself", fill-in-the-blanks theft report that we were supposed to complete and return to them. And we were even supposed to provide our own stamp to mail it back!!

-"BB"-

As long as it did not do damage to my property, myself, or my family. I am okay with fireworks

I wouldn't call the police, I have enough other annoying neighbors that like to use petty ordinances to harass neighbors. They would call. If the action was close to my home and threatened my property, I would just go out with the trusty video camera and ask the neighbor if they minded if I took a few shots of them, you know for the criminal and civil cases if there is any damage.

I'm glad you guys aren't my neighbors tonight. We've got close to $1000 worth of fireworks to illegally shoot off tonight. Many of my neighbors will sit on their decks and porches and enjoy the free show. In 20 years we've only had the cops called on us once and all they did was tell us it's about time to quit and be careful.

Normally, I wouldn't call, but with the extremely dry conditions there, I would.

Here in Jersey, it's rained 26 of 30 days...so fire away!!!

I vote for boobies! But fireworks are like boobies; a few little fireworks and I'm not going to pay much attention . . but if there's something BIG going on, I gotta look! (and maybe follow up with a call . . . .)

When you've seen 50 ft. flames swallow neighborhoods like a wave rolling onto a beach,
I say....yeah, without a doubt, you have to act before such a destructive lesson has to be taught.

Lightning Bolt wrote:When you've seen 50 ft. flames swallow neighborhoods like a wave rolling onto a beach,
I say....yeah, without a doubt, you have to act before such a destructive lesson has to be taught.

Yup...dat's my fellow Californian.

I'm glad that so far there's no Santa Ana condition and we've had increased humidity this week, but as seen this week in Castaic and Temecula, conditions are ripe for another round of firestorms. I've already seen the helicopters on patrol at 8am this morning.

Blowing off explosives and drinking goes right in hand with cooking on the grill for 4th of July. It is your RIGHT and DUTY as an American. End of story.

SeattleParrotHead wrote:I vote for boobies! But fireworks are like boobies; a few little fireworks and I'm not going to pay much attention . . but if there's something BIG going on, I gotta look! (and maybe follow up with a call . . . .)

Well let's just say there were some OBVIOUS reservation fireworks going off. Bailey (dog) handled it pretty well until right before we went to bed, and then she was freaked a little. I didn't call but then the weekend's not over. I'll see what happens tonight.

no.....unless i didn't like them!!!!