Douse the Fireworks

Like California poppies after a wildfire, fireworks stands popped up in recent weeks, gaudy and bold, in the few communities where their wares remain legal to sell and use. The brisk business they do each summer makes children’s advocates, emergency medics and fire chiefs very nervous.

In 200 cities across California--including 37 of the 88 municipalities in Los Angeles County and five more in Orange County--sales of “safe and sane” fireworks are still allowed. In tiny Fillmore, the only Ventura County city where sales or private use of fireworks has not been outlawed, 25 roadside stands were expected to raise $250,000 this week for local nonprofit organizations.

These fireworks are pretty tame. Mostly they shriek and smoke. Firecrackers, M-80s, cherry bombs, bottle rockets, even sparklers are banned. Yet, injuries from fireworks sent at least 161 people to emergency rooms throughout California last summer, according to hospital records. This year, with hillsides and canyons covered in dry brush, fireworks pose a potent threat of sparking fires.

Despite medical and legal concerns and the lavish fireworks displays scheduled by theme parks and municipalities, do-it-yourself fireworks remain a durable tradition in America and many of the cultures that color California. The link with charitable fund-raising complicates efforts to further restrict their private sale.

Setting off fireworks is best left to trained professionals. There are plenty of public fireworks extravaganzas to honor our nation’s birth without burning homes or maiming children in the process. And community service groups, especially those dedicated to youth services, can surely find safer ways to raise money than by placing danger in the hands of the children they work so hard to help.