Ring in the New Year... But Not With a Bang! Fireworks Prohibited in City of Arlington
By Office of Communication
Posted on December 28, 2020, December 28, 2020

Every year the police and fire departments have the challenge of enforcing the use of illegal fireworks in the city of Arlington. The two events that result in the highest usage of fireworks are 4th of July, and New Year’s. The issues related to fireworks being used in the city have a cascading effect on many areas of public response. Over the 4th of July week alone, officers responded to nearly 400 calls for service this year.

People often get injured by fireworks and they can be extremely dangerous, especially in an urban environment. They also can start structure fires and have on many occasions. Every year the fire department responds to structure fires that originated because of the use of illegal fireworks in the city. By inadvertently creating fires that need to be put out by our fire department, they are being kept from being available to respond to other calls they are needed for.

The same is true for our police officers. When fireworks go off in the city, the police will be dispatched to numerous shots fired calls when the caller believes someone is shooting a gun. This occupies our officers and keeps them from responding to other calls where citizens may actually need assistance, making response times slower. Officers who discover illegal fireworks can seize them to be destroyed, and also issue citations up to $2,000 to offenders.

In addition to the strain on police and fire resources, the additional calls coming in to 911 may overwhelm the call takers, and someone who has an emergency and needs immediate help, may not be able to speak to a call taker immediately. This could have devastating results for those in need of help.

Not only does the usage of fireworks in the city put a strain on these services, it could seriously injure, or kill someone. Some people underestimate the power of fireworks and the potential they have to harm, but the fact is that an estimated 10,000 emergency room visits were attributed to fireworks in the year 2019.

Please do your part and comply with local laws and do not use fireworks in the city limits of Arlington. The responsibility lies with all of us to keep ourselves and our neighbors safe.

Fireworks prohibited

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