Before I get accused of being unpatriotic, let me qualify that statement: I don’t like the kind of fireworks that you set off on your street (or in your garage, if you’re one of those unintelligent people who tries to fiddle with Piccolo Petes to make them explode – which they usually do, in your hands). I love fireworks in the sky (the Anaheim Angels have a GREAT show after every Friday home game). The kind that you set off yourself, though? They’re noisy, they smell bad, and for some reason, people have a tendency to continue setting them off for weeks after July 4th at 2:00 am, even in places where they are illegal. Not to mention the fact that:*
- In 2007, there were 9,800 fireworks-related injuries treated in emergency rooms in the U.S.
- 92% of those injuries were caused by legal, “safe and sane” fireworks
- Over 10% of those injuries were caused by sparklers
- Another 10% were caused by firecrackers and rockets
- In 2006, there were an estimated 32,600 fires that were started by fireworks, resulting in death, injury, and $34 million in property damage
So what does my soap box on fireworks have to do with employee benefits? Well, one could surmise that encouraging your employees to take their families to one of the many public fireworks shows in the U.S. will save you money on health care – because you’re not paying for injuries that may have occurred if they had set off their own fireworks. It will also decrease absenteeism caused by injuries to themselves or family members. By now, you should be encouraging your employees to make healthy decisions for themselves and for their families – this is just another healthy decision.
Here are just a few of the public fireworks shows planned in California. You can find the ones in your area with a quick Internet search.
Southern California:
- Fireworks Shows in LA County
- Fireworks Shows in Orange County
- Fireworks Shows in Inland Empire
- Fireworks Shows in San Diego County
Northern California:
- Fireworks Shows in San Francisco Bay Area
- Fireworks Shows in East Contra Costa County
- Fireworks Shows in West Contra Costa County
However, if you must purchase your own fireworks, please buy from a State Fire Marshal-Approved Fireworks (Safe and Sane) stand, which are up in over 270 communities in California. These stands are all run by non-profit groups, like school booster clubs and organizations for children, like Boys and Girls Clubs. Purchasing fireworks from these booths helps these organizations where donations and other private funds are not enough.
*National Fire Protection Association, www.nfpa.org
#1 by Travis on July 1st, 2009
Lexi, people have been inventing ways to hurt themselves since the beginning of time, and governments have never been able to stop irresponsible people from doing so.
There are, however, plenty of unintended consequences to the banning of fireworks:
1. Supply and demand – Black market fireworks are smuggled across city, county, state and national borders in large numbers, but without the quality controls that law-abiding businesses would put in place.
2. Parents never get a chance to legally teach their children about the safe handling of fireworks. Later on, when their friends bring some of the aforementioned black market fireworks home, the risk of childhood injury INCREASES rather than decreases. I doubt you would be able to find any boys under the age of 18 who have not managed to procure illegal fireworks at some point or another in their lives.
3. Taxpayers are forced to contribute to elaborate municipal fireworks shows which they may not care to attend. Because all cities have shows on the same date and time, the inelasticity in supply of pyrotechnicians drives prices higher and higher every year.
Even if you don’t mind big-government intrusions into deep-rooted American traditions, it’s clear that the banning of personal fireworks merely shifts costs onto unwilling taxpayers and drives responsible users underground.
Happy 4th!
#2 by Lexi Ruben on July 1st, 2009
To be fair, I never said anything about banning fireworks. I was involved for many years with a youth group that sold (and still sells) fireworks every year, and it was (and probably still is) the main source of funding for our group. Hence my comment that if you do want to purchase legal fireworks, do so from one of the Safe and Sane booths, as they are all run by non-profit groups.
But I do have one comment on your theory: don’t taxpayers also pay for the fire departments that have to come out and take care of the injured and the fires that are started by both legal and illegal fireworks?
I agree with you on your last point, though – hope everyone has a happy (and safe!) 4th of July!
#3 by Travis on July 1st, 2009
Well ok then, as long as you’re not trying to ban anything…
Yes, fire departments get called out alot on the 4th of July, even in cities where fireworks are outlawed!
I wonder if any California fire department has ever done a staff reduction as a result of a fireworks ban? Probably not.