Town Seeks to Tighten Fireworks Regulations

Acting Fire Chief Darren O'Brien and Fire Marshal Brian Johnson presented the Town Council with several measures Monday aimed at addressing recent complaints about fireworks displays in town.

The possibility of implementing more restrictive rules for fireworks was first discussed at the Town Council's meeting on May 6, after the town received nearly 200 complaints in a two-hour period stemming from a fireworks show held at the Londonderry Fish and Game Club on April 27.

"A number of people have called the town manager's office about this issue and affiliated noise issues," Acting Town Manager William Hart said. "It is a cause for concern for a number of folks."

Right now, the only fireworks regulation on the books in Londonderry is one that requires anyone purchasing more than $500 worth of fireworks to get a permit from the Fire Department. Other than that, there are no restrictions.

At Monday's Town Council meeting, O'Brien and Johnson suggested six possible fireworks regulations:

1. Eliminating the $500 fee for purchasing more than $500 of fireworks, which has been hard for the Fire Department to police.
2. Regulate the use of smaller, Class C fireworks to between 6 and 10 p.m., which coincides with the town's noise ordinance and would prevent them from being shot off at all hours.
3. Allow the use of Class C fireworks only on Class 3 fire days or less.
4. Increase the fee for larger, Class B commercial fireworks displays from $100 to $1,000.
5. Only allow Class B fireworks at town sponsored events like Old Home Day. The increased fee noted in #4 above would not be needed if this were approved.
6. Require any Class B commercial display to have a Fire Department detail. Again, if #5 is approved this wouldn't be needed.

Councilor Tom Dolan suggested possibly developing a permitting process so that people have to apply for a permit – at no cost – before setting off fireworks. This would provide a way for the town to track who is using fireworks on a given day.

But Johnson said this could prove problematic, as Class C fireworks include sparklers, and requiring residents to get a permit just to set off sparklers might be too cumbersome.

"On the Fourth of July, how are we gonna handle the onslaught of everyone who wants to shoot off fireworks?" he asked.

Council Chairman John Farrell suggested the town look into whether it would be possible to set up a self-registration system that would allow residents to fill out a form on the town's website. That way there would be a record, but the process wouldn't be too burdensome.

"Let's try that," he said. "It may take us six months to figure that out – I'm not expecting it to be ready for the Fourth of July."

The Fire Department will continue to work on drawing up a proposed ordinance, and will then submit it to the council so it can go through the public hearing process prior to adoption.