4th of July fun abounds

Celebratory explosives will echo throughout Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes this week as residents celebrate the 238th anniversary of the U.S. adopting the Declaration of Independence. Some will be discharged legally and others, illegally.

Backyard fireworks shows are banned throughout Terrebonne Parish and the Lafourche cities of Golden Meadow and Thibodaux, where it remains unlawful to sell, possess or ignite the explosives, but the sale and discharge of consumer fireworks in unincorporated Lafourche Parish and Lockport are allowed.

While some local law enforcement agencies are lenient in how they enforce the laws, the Houma Police Department will deploy four additional officers on patrol this holiday season, in part for DWI enforcement and in part for fireworks vigilance, Police Chief Todd Duplantis said.

“(Popping fireworks) has been illegal down here for many years, and people know it,” Duplantis said. “Last year I encouraged officers to do zero tolerance, and I’m doing the same this year.”

HPD officers issued three summonses to people allegedly engaged in fireworks use last year, Duplantis said. The department received approximately seven complaints, some of which may have been duplicate calls for the same violation, he said. That was down from the roughly 43 complaints Duplantis had said the department received in 2012.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office typically receives between 20 and 30 fireworks complaints around the New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July holidays, said Capt. Dawn Foret, an office spokeswoman. Traditionally, TPSO does not amend its patrol schedule for fireworks-related reasons, she added.

“We will respond to any complaints of fireworks,” Foret said. “If we locate someone popping fireworks, we generally confiscate them and either issue a warning or a citation.”

In Terrebonne, convicted violators face up to 30 days in jail, a fine up to $500 or both.

Comparatively, the laws in Lafourche are lax.

It is illegal in Lafourche to sell, pop or possess fireworks in Thibodaux and Golden Meadow city limits, and bottle rockets are banned throughout the parish.

Regarding consumer fireworks in unincorporated Lafourche and Lockport, it is illegal to ignite or explode fireworks within 1,000 feet of a church, hospital or public school or within 75 feet of where fireworks are stored or sold. Parish law also makes it illegal to ignite fireworks while inside a motor vehicle.

In the legal Lafourche zones, residents are restricted as to when they can discharge their poppers, Lafourche Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Brennan Matherne said. Through July 2, the legal time is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; On July 3 and the Fourth, the legal frame is from 9 a.m. to midnight. On July 5, the last day for legal popping, the time reverts back to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Thibodaux Police Department typically does not change its patrolling strategy for Independence Day, public information officer David Melancon said. Officers respond to fireworks use as witnessed or phoned in as a complaint, confiscate any fireworks they find and, when necessary, issue a ticket or summons to appear in court, he added.

Lafourche has issued 33 permits to fireworks retailer this year, according to parish government spokeswoman Loralei Gilliam, down from 37 in 2012. The parish council last year relaxed the buffer zone for fireworks sales in terms of proximity to certain structures – from 300 feet to 75 feet away from homes, schools and churches – but increased the permitting fee to $800 for vendors who have not been domiciled in Louisiana for at least one year – the fee is $100 for “residents.”

Amid a coastal drought in 2010, the Lafourche Parish Council grappled with the idea of banning fireworks parishwide. Ultimately, they opted against the idea, and the issue of popping fireworks in unincorporated Lafourche has been publicly addressed since then.

Still, residents of Houma and Thibodaux are invited to get their fill of fireworks. A fireworks show at Peltier Park in Thibodaux begins at 9 p.m., July 4, in conjunction with the annual Let Freedom Ring Festival. Another show begins at 9 p.m., July 5, as part of the Houma Independence Festival held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

An average of 240 people go to the emergency room every day in the month surrounding Independence Day, according to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission. Roughly 11,400 people sustained fireworks-related injuries in 2013, up from 7,400 the prior year, and eight people died, according to the CPSC.

The commission recommends that any fireworks activities be supervised by an adult, never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully, never throw fireworks at another person and keep a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby in case of a fire.

In 2011, fireworks caused an estimated 17,800 reported fires, which inflicted $32 million in direct property damage, according to the nongovernmental National Fire Protection Association.