CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- As July Fourth approaches, Chesterfield Fire Marshalls are urging residents to steer clear from using sparklers and fireworks at home.
According to the county fire code, "no person shall store, possess, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail or use or explode any firework or pyrotechnic special effect materials," unless they are granted a permit for supervised displays.
Despite the code being enforced for years, Chesterfield County Fire and EMS Captain Joe Harvey said every year, first responders receive hundreds of calls about illegal fireworks.
"I couldn't even begin to come up with a number," Harvey said. "We're busy, the police department is busy all night long."
Harvey said his team used to patrol neighborhoods in Chesterfield, confiscating any fireworks they saw.
However, the team had to put their patrols on pause because of the sheer number of illegal fireworks they collected, often filling trunks and warehouse space.
Harvey said the hundreds of calls they get each year about fireworks are overwhelming, with many of them related to injury or serious fires.
"In the last five years, we've had 27 incidents related to fireworks in Chesterfield County and nine of those incidents have been some type of structure fire," Harvey said.
Between July 3 and July 5, 2022, there were four reported structure fires caused by fireworks, the highest count in a span of five years, according to data collected by Chesterfield County.
Harvey said many of the fireworks his team confiscates have fun and witty designs, marketed to appeal to children and their families as "safe."
But Harvey said a closer look showed the reality of how dangerous the fireworks can be.
"I mean, right here on the label, it talks about emitting showers of sparks," he said.
Harvey said many of the calls his team receives each year come from veterans experiencing PTSD, who can be put in distress hearing the loud sounds of fireworks and other pyrotechnic materials.
He also said every year, residents call about missing animals who run away in fear of the sound of fireworks.
The most common trend, Harvey said, is the number of residents who do not know the law, until it's too late.
"We show up all the time on the Fourth of July and the first thing people say is they did not know this was illegal in Chesterfield," Harvey said.
The use of aerial fireworks, or fireworks that explode or rise in the air, is illegal across the Commonwealth.
In Chesterfield, anyone storing, selling, or possessing any illegal fireworks or pyrotechnic material can be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, which could cost up to $2,500 in fines or 12 months of jail time.
Henrico County prohibits the sale, possession, or use of fireworks including sparklers. Exceptions include road flares and paper caps containing no more than .25 grams of explosive content.
In Richmond, "it shall be a violation of this Code for any person to store, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail, or use or explode any fireworks, except as provided in the rules and regulations issued by the Fire Code Official for the granting of permits for supervised public display of fireworks by the jurisdiction, fair association, amusement parks and other organizations. Every such display shall be handled by an approved, competent operator. The fireworks shall be arranged, located, discharged or fired in a manner that, in the opinion of the Fire Code Official, will not be a hazard to property or endanger any person."
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