Firework Safety, Displays, and Permit Deadlines

Fireworks displays are a beautiful way to highlight a holiday weekend. Many communities hold these events, and, often, fire departments are the organizations that sponsor them.

Unfortunately, fireworks can also be the cause of serious injuries and property damage. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that in 1997 an estimated 8,300 people suffered fireworks-related injuries severe enough to require emergency room treatment. While children were the largest group affected, at least a third of those injured were adults aged 25-44. Property damage each year runs into the millions: In 1996 an estimated 24,800 fires involving fireworks caused $26.8 million in direct damage.

Firework Safety

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Consider some of the following procedures to prevent accidents and limit your liability.

​First and foremost, contract with a professional fireworks company to fire the shells. Ask for a certificate of insurance and that your ESO be named as an additional insured on their policy. The limits of their liability policy should be at least $1 million for bodily injury and property damage.

If you use employees/members of your ESO to handle the display instead, make sure they have been trained and certified to shoot fireworks. A number of states require licensing or certification in this regard. A Pyrotechnics Display Operator Training Program can also be obtained from Pyrotechnics Guild International, Inc. (www.pgi.org) Work with the fireworks company to determine adequate distances from which spectators are separated from the display, discharge and fall-out areas.

The NFPA Standard 1123 gives specific requirements for the display area: Allow at least 70 foot radius for every inch of internal mortar diameter of the largest aerial shell fired. There should be no spectators, dwellings or parking areas in this radius.

The shell trajectory in the discharge area should have a 25 foot clearance to any overhead objects. Ground display pieces should be at least 75 feet from any spectator viewing or parking areas.

The fall-out area, where debris from spent shells and any malfunctioning aerial shells fall, should be free of all spectators, vehicles or combustible materials.

Firework Displays

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If you plan to host a Fourth of July fireworks display that requires a permit on or before July 5:

• All payments and paper applications mailed to our office must be received no later than Friday, June 24. This includes funds to be placed in your account (escrow).
• Send paper copies of your Permit Application for Class B Fireworks to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, PO Box 12107, Austin, TX 78711.
• All fireworks display applications submitted by email must be sent to [email protected] by 5 p.m. Thursday, June 30. Money must already be in escrow for any emailed applications received after June 24.
  
  

You’ll need to pay an additional permit fee and submit an updated signed certification from your local authority having jurisdiction if you:

• Change the date of the display.
• Add a rain date after the show date.
• Change or add a firing location.
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All fees are non-refundable. There is no fee for adding a rain date before the show date.

Firework Permits