Safe and Sane

Fireworks may be as American as apple pie and the Fourth of July, but they also maim people and burn things--even those fireworks euphemistically referred to as safe and sane. Consider sparklers, which are thought by many to be the most harmless of all forms of fireworks, especially for small children, and listen to the comments of one fire official: “Sparklers are ‘safe and sane,’ and what are they? They’re pieces of steel that are 2,000 degrees on one end, and we let 3-year-olds wave them around in front of our houses.”

Fireworks manufacturers constantly argue that safe-and-sane fireworks pose no dangers if they are handled properly. The trouble is that those star-spouting, sparkling and flaming materials are mishandled on a mass scale every Independence Day. The condition of safety and saneness is that the fireworks are set off in a safe area by a responsible adult, on grounds cleared of any flammable material. In that way no one gets hurt and nothing gets burned. That is a fine theory, rarely carried out in practice.

California is a hodgepodge of fireworks laws. Fireworks are banned in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County and in many communities within the county, but always are available not far away. The only solution is to have a statewide ban on the sale and use of all fireworks. Only when that is done can Californians enjoy a Fourth of July holiday that truly is safe and sane.