Ferndale Limits Fireworks Use Ahead of Fourth of July

The Ferndale City Council approved new fireworks regulations Monday following passage of a state law that gives local governments some flexibility to decide when the devices may be used.

The City Council unanimously passed an amendment to city code that bans the use of fireworks within the city except on the day before, the day of and the day after a national holiday; on those days, use of fireworks will be prohibited between 12 a.m. and 8 a.m and 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. New Year's Day.

Ferndale Police Chief Timothy Collins also reminded residents during the Monday meeting at City Hall that fireworks are not allowed on public property, including parks, roadways and streets.

The penalty for violating the rule, which will be in effect this Fourth of July, is a civil fine of up to $500. 

"Fireworks should be to celebrate important events, not just on a whim to make a bunch of noise for drunken backyard parties," Neil Edwards commented on the Ferndale Patch Facebook page. "They are dangerous and should be used sparingly and sensibly."

A state law passed June 19 allows local governments to prohibit the use of consumer fireworks between midnight and 8 a.m. on the day before, day of, and day after national holidays.

"This is a common-sense bill that respects the preferences of communities by letting local authorities decide when fireworks can and cannot be used," Lt. Gov. Brian Calley said after signing House Bill 4743 into law.

The legislation was a reaction to a law passed in 2011 that loosened fireworks regulations in an effort to encourage citizens to buy consumer fireworks in Michigan rather than in neighboring states and, in turn, increase revenue coming into state coffers.

The new state legislation also guarantees all of the fees that vendors pay for fireworks safety go toward local firefighter training programs.

"We urge the public to be very cognizant of where (the fireworks are) going to land, especially on your neighbor's property," Ferndale Fire Marshall Brian Batten said Monday. "They do cause fires. They do damage to people's homes and a lot of commercial buildings. If there's somebody that's deliberately doing something that's unsafe, by all means call the Police Department or the Fire Department."