Elgin officials are hoping to steer residents away from setting off illegal fireworks this year by posting videos that demonstrate how dangerous they are and the negative impact they have on animals and people with posttraumatic stress disorder. (Brian Krista/Baltimore Sun Media)
Elgin police are ramping up their campaign to curb illegal fireworks by releasing two new videos, including one in which Fire Chief Robb Cagann talks about the dangers involved in shooting off amateur displays.
“More than 19,000 injuries occur every year with trips to the emergency room. Most of those occur to the face head, eyes and fingers,” Cagann says in the video.
Among the most vulnerable are children ages 10 to 14, he said, because they are prone to injuries from both illegal and legal fireworks, like sparklers.
“Oftentimes, people think sparklers are a fun thing to hand to their little kid to run around the yard, but the danger is that sparklers burn at over 1,200 degrees,” he said. “A child touching the top thinking it’s cooled off is an emergency visit guaranteed.”
Elgin’s ordinance prohibits any person or business from possessing, selling or setting off “fireworks, flame effects or consumer fireworks in the city without having a permit from the city for a pyrotechnic and consumer display.” Fines range from $100 to $750, it states.
Additionally, a homeowner who allows fireworks to be set off on their property may be cited as well.
The police department has putting out the message via electric signs, social media and “walks and talks” in neighborhoods where there have been a high rate of complaints.
One video has been posted and another featuring Chance, the department’s comfort dog, will put the spotlight on the effect fireworks has on pets and people with posttraumatic stress disorder, police Chief Ana Lalley said.
Elgin police had more than 1,200 fireworks complaints in 2020 and more than 800 in 2021, Lalley said.
“We’re doing all these initiatives to push those numbers down,” she said.
The department has a fireworks detail to respond to complaints and investigate incidents. Two citations have been issued since it started June 1 and there have been 102 fireworks complaints since Jan. 1, said Sgt. Mike Martino, the department’s new public information officer.
Lalley speculates the 2020 complaint numbers were related to the COVID-19 shutdown and restlessness from the pandemic. With the inflation affecting the economy and high gas prices causing some to travel less, it’s possible fewer people will purchase illegal fireworks this year, she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.