City Gives Residents Refresher on Fireworks Rules

With the Fourth of July weekend approaching, the Manhattan Beach Fire Department is urging the community to remember that all fireworks are prohibited in the city—yes, even sparklers.

Interim Fire Chief Ken Shuck said that fireworks of all types are banned in the three beach cities. The nearest locales to legally buy and set them off are Lawndale and Hawthorne.

“We have a lot of illegal fireworks in the city,” Shuck said. “We try to be pretty aggressive in enforcement.”

In 2009, firefighters confiscated about 50 pounds of fireworks, 90 percent of which were illegal, Shuck said.

The number of fireworks-related fires or medical calls has remained low in recent years, he said. In fact, last year the fire department responded to 28 emergencies from July 3 to July 5, none of which were the result of fireworks accidents.

Shuck said that during his 31 years in the department, there has been a decrease in the number of fireworks and fireworks-related problems locally, though he did not give exact figures. The reduction may be linked to more roofs being made of noncombustible materials and a continued effort by the fire department to crack down on illegal fireworks, he said.

He added that in all of his years of service he has seen only one or two house fires caused by fireworks thrown or shot into the air, and an occasional grass fire.

In Patch's discussion with Shuck, he highlighted additional public safety issues for the holiday weekend.

Manhattan Beach Patch: The city website says that all fireworks are banned in Manhattan Beach. Does that include sparklers?

Ken Shuck: Yes, all fireworks are banned, including “safe and sane” fireworks. When we come across them, we try education first—like if it’s families, we ask them to please go back to the city they got them from. But if people have attitude or if they run, we confiscate them. And if it continues, we could issue citations [a $300 fine].

Patch: What’s the difference between “safe and sane” fireworks and “illegal” fireworks?

Shuck: Illegal fireworks are mostly ones that shoot up in the air, like sky rockets and fire crackers. Safe and sane fireworks usually only shoot off sparks and don’t shoot up in the air.

Patch: What is the fire department doing to prepare? Did you make any public service announcements?

Shuck: We do not have public service announcements, but we will have all of our firefighters, nine firefighters, on duty during the evening hours. It could be busier this year because July 4th is on a weekend instead of in the middle of the week.

The weather also plays a factor. If it’s June gloom, overcast and cool, we don’t see too many crowds. If it’s nice, warm and hot, there might be more crowds.