Fireworks in Ohio: How police handled first holiday under new state law

MIAMI VALLEY — State law now allows people to set off consumer fireworks on certain holidays, but several local cities instated their own bans.

Cities like Dayton, Springfield , Beavercreek and in Kettering all kept fireworks bans in place– city leaders claiming it was due to the safety concerns.

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One woman reported a major safety concern after what appears to be a deliberate attack, or prank gone wrong.

“It went though my mailbox and it blew up in my house,” the 911 caller told dispatchers.

That call to 911 shows the dangers of fireworks of any type.

The woman told dispatchers she suspected the fireworks were in the hands of teens.

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The caller told dispatchers no one was injured, but she was still concerned. “It almost hit my son because he was in the bathroom,” the caller said.

Stephen Long is on the other side of the fireworks fence. He and his friends love to celebrate Independence Day with a sky show.

Long made it clear his group cleaned up their fireworks and didn’t leave them out in the street.

He’s glad Ohio made fireworks legal and wishes Dayton would do the same.

Long said no one came by to try and shut down the fireworks or give him a ticket.

Major Jason Hall with the Dayton Police Department said the departments goal was to keep everyone safe over the holiday weekend.

“Issuing citations or arrests is not the goal, we want to educate and inform,” Hall said.

Their records show they received 70 calls for service about fireworks.

The preliminary records do not indicate officers cited anyone for violating the city ordinance.

Other local cities said they also dispatched officers on calls but , for the most part, simply asked people to stop firing rather than hand out tickets.

The people that enjoy fireworks clearly believe this should be legal statewide and cities should drop their bans.

One thing no one disputes is that fireworks can be dangerous and must be handled carefully.

The consumer products safety commission says between 10 and 20 people die 10 to 15-thousand people are hurt every year from fireworks incidents.

We will continue to monitor moving forward if so many local cities keep their fireworks bans in place for next year, Independency day 2023.

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