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Fireworks legal, but use caution
Published December 22, 2009
SEGUIN — For the first time in two years, the possession and use of fireworks in unincorporated areas of Guadalupe County is legal and unrestricted.
That doesn’t mean those who like to usher in the New Year by lighting up the sky shouldn’t be careful, local public safety officials say.
Locally, sale of fireworks began Sunday, and Michael Girdley of Alamo Fireworks says his firm is ready this year with a full selection.
“For the first time in several years, all products including rockets and all aerial fireworks that shoot in the air can be sold and used legally, and Alamo Fireworks is introducing over 40 new items to celebrate the good weather,” Girdley said in a news release issued Sunday. “We have aerials with pretty colors down to the small stuff that stays on the ground.”
Girdley recommended revelers use caution and good sense — and remember that fireworks are illegal within city limits.
“Fireworks users are reminded to be safe this holiday,” Girdley said. “When using fireworks, shoot only outside the city limits and away from houses, tall grass or people. Keep a bucket of water nearby, have an adult present and always follow the instructions on the packages.”
Local firefighters agree with Girdley’s safety message.
Even though the ground is saturated in many places, the Guadalupe County Firefighters Association recommends caution when using fireworks this season.
“Fireworks are an exciting and entertaining way to celebrate the holidays,” said McQueeney Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tim Bogisch. “But everyone needs to remember that fireworks are essentially explosive devices that can cause property damage, serious injury and even death if they are not used safely.”
New Berlin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kurt Strey noted that the recent rains and resulting growth of grass and other vegetation, while great for cattle ranchers, creates a “fuel load” problem for firefighters — meaning that with recent freezes, there’s a lot more dead grass and brush out there to ignite and sustain a fire.
“With wet weather, this doesn’t produce a fire problem, but when you have dry fronts with humidities below 40 percent, this becomes a problem with the grass or other fuels being dry enough to start easily and spread rapidly,” Strey said.
A related problem is that wet, muddy ground doesn’t support heavy trucks and fire engines.
“Two years ago during all the really bad New Year’s fires, the ground was dry and our fire trucks were easily able to go off-road to extinguish those fires,” Strey said. “That’s not the case this year. This time around, our trucks will be much more apt to become stuck and produce a bad safety situation for our personnel.”
Whether firefighters can get to them or not, the fires will continue to burn, meaning bulldozers or other heavy equipment will need to be brought in to pull the fire trucks where they are needed, or worse yet, firefighters will have to wait for a blaze to burn its way to a place where they can fight it.
“Be careful with your fires and your fireworks because if either gets out of hand, you just might burn down something you don’t want to — like your own home or your neighbor’s house,” Strey said.
Remember: all sale, use or possession of fireworks is illegal in the city limits of Seguin and other incorporated cities in Guadalupe County.
(Tips courtesy of the Guadalupe County Firefighters Association)
In unincorporated areas:
• Never allow children to be unsupervised around fireworks and never allow them to play with or ignite them.
• Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
• Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
• Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves or flammable materials.
• Never try to relight “dud” fireworks or incendiaries that have not fully functioned.
• Keep a bucket of water handy in case of fire.
• Post a spotter or lookout when using fireworks to monitor where they land and to ensure they don’t start a fire.
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