Hoover Police Department reminds citizens of fireworks ban

From Hoover Police Department:

Fireworks Reminder

Hoover, like many other cities in the Birmingham-Hoover metro area, has adopted the 2009 International Fire Code, which prohibits the "possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling and use of fireworks" in the city limits. However, professional organizations can have public fireworks displays after obtaining a city permit for the event.

Hoover Fire officials say fireworks are prohibited to help prevent fires and provide for personal safety. In 2012, at least six people died and an estimated 8,700 people in the United States were treated in hospital emergency rooms because of non-occupational fireworks injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Sixty percent of those fireworks-related injuries came between June 22 and July 22, according to the commission's annual report.

Children younger than 15 accounted for about 30 percent of the 2012 injuries, while 46 percent of the injuries were to people 20 or younger. Males accounted for 74 percent of the injuries, compared to 26 percent for females. An estimated 1,200 of the injuries were related to firecrackers, while 600 were related to sparklers and 400 to bottle rockets, the commission said.

The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (an estimated 41 percent); head, face, and ears (an estimated 19 percent); legs (an estimated 13 percent); and eyes (an estimated 12 percent). More than half of the emergency department-treated injuries were burns. Burns were the most common injury to all parts of the body, except the eyes, where contusions, lacerations, and foreign bodies in the eyes occurred more frequently, according to the commission's report.

The fireworks ban also helps prevent violations of the city's noise ordinance. Citations issued for a fireworks violation may require fines and/or a court appearance.

People who plan to shoot fireworks in places outside the city where they are legal to follow safety precautions outlined in this link: hooverpd.com/ftpupload/upload/fireworkssafety.pdf