CLEVELAND — Some Northeast Ohio cities continue to be left with a tough choice — should they follow current Ohio law allowing legal fireworks use on certain days of the year, including the Fourth of July, or should they ban them altogether?
The City of Cleveland continues to ban fireworks use, joining dozens of local cities in opting out of House Bill 172, passed in 2021, allowing legal fireworks use on private property. Ward 8 Cleveland Councilman Michael Polensek agreed enforcing a ban on fireworks use is tough, especially with the department facing a shortfall of some 300 officers, but he believes maintaining a ban is crucial.
“This is not even fun anymore; they’re shooting off things that look like a stick of dynamite," Polensek said. “That's why in the City of Cleveland we wanted to maintain our fireworks law, because again it’s gotten out of hand and the people in Columbus, they don’t get it.”
Polensek, who is also the chair of the Cleveland Safety Committee, highlighted city calls for service statistics during a 24-hour period on July Fourth of 2022, which showed 21 people shot, 3 homicides and 226 calls to police for illegal fireworks use. The statistics also showed fireworks played a role in 300 fire calls, seven structure fires and 19 grass and landscaping fires in the same period.
“This is about a quality-of-life issue, it's one thing to have it on just the Fourth of July, but we have it throughout the year now," Polensek said. “There is an issue, it’s enforcement, and if you don’t have the people working the streets to set the tone, then these characters think they can do whatever they want, and they do whatever they want.”
However, Maple Heights and a few other larger Northeast Ohio suburbs have decided to follow state law and allow limited use of legal fireworks on July 3, 4, and 5, the weekends immediately before and after (4 p.m.-11 p.m.); Labor Day weekend; Diwali; New Year’s Eve (4 p.m.-11:59 p.m); New Year’s Day (12 a.m.-1 a.m.; 4 p.m.-11 p.m.); Lunar New Year; Cinco de Mayo; Memorial Day weekend and Juneteenth.
Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell told News 5 city leaders believe enforcing a ban on fireworks wasn't practical in a city that has 30 police officers and some 25,000 residents. Blackwell said the city is trying to promote awareness about fireworks safety instead.
It would really, really overwhelm our police department, and we may be delayed in getting to those more serious calls, so we made the decision about what makes the best sense and the best use of our time," Blackwell said. “We’re pushing safety and respect and consideration of their neighbors, and more specifically telling them: never use homemade fireworks; they are very dangerous and cause serious injury."
Maple Heights issued the following fireworks safety information on its police Facebook page:
Be prepared:
• Know and follow all county and city fireworks laws/rules for your area. Location/Time/ Safety etc.
• Never use homemade fireworks.
• Clear away any dry vegetation and debris from the area before igniting any fireworks.
• Always have a water source, full bucket of water and/or fire-extinguisher, close at hand.
• Make sure your pets are indoors before you begin, to reduce the risk they will run loose or get injured. Animals have sensitive ears and can be frightened or stressed during a fireworks celebration.
While celebrating:
• Be sure those watching are at a safe distance from where fireworks are being ignited.
• Use safety eyewear, glasses or goggles, to protect your eyes while igniting fireworks.
• Never carry fireworks in your pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• Do not allow children to play with or light fireworks.
• Sparklers should only be used under close adult supervision. While often considered a “safe” firework for the young, the tip of a sparkler burns at 1,200 degrees or higher, which can cause third degree burns.
• If a firework does not light or fire, let it sit for at least 20 minutes then carefully place it in a bucket of water.
Clean up:
• Make sure fireworks are cold before handling and place all used fireworks into a bucket of water.
• Clean up all debris.
• Be sure matches, lighters and any unused fireworks are out of the sight and reach of children before, during and after your celebration.
Check with your local fire and police departments for guidance on permitted fireworks.
Still, in Cleveland, Polensek is urging residents to report hazardous fireworks use to police this coming weekend.
“The debris, the litter, they’ll turn these parks into massive fireworks displays, and I say to myself, 'Where are the people getting the money for these fireworks?'” Polensek said. “If there’s something going down on your street, crazy with fireworks, don’t hesitate to call; there might be a zone car in the community.”
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