With the Fourth of July on the horizon, families in western Massachusetts can look toward Amherst and Greenfield to watch fireworks displays. But they cannot put on their own shows, at least not legally — Massachusetts is one of three states with a total ban on consumer fireworks.
Even so, area police said the holiday sees an uptick in the number of fireworks-related complaints; the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services has offered a slew of online materials about the dangers of fireworks; and fireworks retailers in New Hampshire said they receive business from many out-of-state customers, including from Massachusetts.
Massachusetts defines fireworks as any article “prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonation.”
Selling fireworks in Massachusetts can result in arrest without a warrant with imprisonment of up to a year and fines of $100 to $1,000. Possession of fireworks comes with a fine of $10 to $100 and confiscation of the fireworks.
Many area police departments say they treat fireworks complaints like noise complaints.
“More often than not, by the time we get there, it’s over with and they don’t do it again,” said one officer.
Fireworks may be illegal in Massachusetts, but in neighboring New Hampshire, there are relatively few restrictions on them. In towns like Hinsdale, just over the border from Franklin County, fireworks retailers offer an array of colorful explosives.
On Wednesday afternoon, the parking lot of Phantom Fireworks, a national chain with a Hinsdale location, illustrated the out-of-state draw. Cars displayed plates from New Hampshire and Vermont as well as from Connecticut and New York, both of which have partial fireworks bans.
“We tell our customers they are responsible for what they do with the fireworks after they leave here,” said Mary Bebey, manager of Phantom Fireworks in Hinsdale.
“What we sell is legal in New Hampshire. It’s up to them to know what’s legal in their state.”
Bebey said she sees a mix of in-state and out-of-state customers.
Michael Dapkus, who owns Stateline Fireworks in Winchester, N.H., said his business serves mostly out-of-state customers — as many as 70 percent come from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York.
Dapkus said he has been using fireworks for 50 years and is also a former police officer and paramedic.
He believes most people in states like Massachusetts want bans lifted but a few authorities keep them in place.
“I respect every single one of those (authorities) because I used to work hand-in-hand with them,” he said. “There’s a few that don’t like fireworks, and they’re in that position of power.”
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services maintains that fireworks are unsafe.
The department’s website includes a recent page called “Leave Fireworks to the Professionals,” which emphasizes the safety of children and contains links to releases on the dangers of fireworks and a list of sanctioned fireworks shows.
According to one of those releases, between 2006 and 2015, fireworks caused 775 major fire and explosion incidents as well as 47 severe burn injuries. Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal’s Office, noted that number includes only burns covering at least 5 percent of the body, and not injuries such as those to eyes, minor burns or damage to fingers.
The most recent death mentioned in that release was of a Gloucester woman in December 2003.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s most recent fireworks report is for 2014. In that year, about 10,500 people were injured and 11 people died nationwide from fireworks accidents.
Dapkus said he recognizes the power of fireworks, but he believes legalization could help prevent accidents, because it would allow retailers to educate customers on precautions like how to pour water over spent fireworks, how to make sure fireworks don’t tip over and what to do with duds.
Bebey said Phantom also prizes customer safety. Employees can advise customers as they shop, and the store hands out pamphlets on consumer safety.
Dapkus said fireworks are not dissimilar from propane grills or lawnmowers — they can be dangerous, but are safe if you’re properly educated. He’s been shooting them off for decades and still has his eyes and digits, he said, and he wants to impart that care to customers.