DATE: Monday, June 30, 1997                 TAG: 9706300064

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY CINDY CLAYTON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   74 lines

FIREWORKS ARE OFF-LIMITS, DANGEROUS SPARKLERS ARE LEGAL IN NORFOLK, BUT EVEN THEY CAN CAUSE SEVERE BURNS, OFFICIAL

With the Fourth of July fast approaching, fire marshals across South Hampton Roads are putting out a warning: Fireworks are illegal and can be extremely dangerous, especially in children's hands.

Even sparklers - those flickering wands that burn and fizzle - are legal only in Norfolk, which prohibits all other types of fireworks. In Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, all kinds of fireworks - from wands to sky-dazzling colorbursts - are off-limits.

Only pyrotechnic companies, which have trained professionals to conduct their shows, are allowed to bring fireworks into the cities, according to each city's fire code.

Officials in the five cities admit that they don't go out hunting for illegal fireworks.

However, folks who plan to get some fireworks, heed this warning: Anyone who has a stash of fireworks confiscated by police, or whose neighbors call to complain about a backyard fireworks show, could face as much as 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

``The reason we have these codes is we feel like (lighting fireworks) encourages children to play with fire,'' said Chesapeake Fire Division Chief Thomas H. Cooke. ``We feel like they are a hazard as much as playing with matches.''

``We even discourage sparklers,'' said Jack Goldhorn, spokesman for the Norfolk Fire Department. Goldhorn said that even though sparklers are allowedin Norfolk, they can be dangerous when used around small children.

``Those things can heat up to 1,800 degrees,'' Goldhorn said. ``If you have young kids who are using them and they accidentally grab the end of the sparkler, they can (suffer) serious burns.''

Local hospitals see few serious accidents involving fireworks, said Dr. Francis Counselman, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Counselman said he has been involved with emergency medicine for 11 years and has seen mostly teen-agers and children come into the emergency room with fireworks-related burns.

Most of the time, he said, victims don't pull their hands away from the fireworks fast enough and burn their fingers. Some even suffer eye injuries.

``There is the potential for some of these firecrackers or M-80s to cause blindness,'' he said. ``If you are blowing something up, it's basically like shrapnel - if it hits you in the eye, you could lose your sight.''

Eye injuries also can occur at larger, professionally run fireworks displays, if the wind picks up and blows falling debris into the eyes of spectators, he said.

But personal use of fireworks is still the No. 1 cause of accidents, he said.

``So much of what we see involves breaking one or more laws. People are intoxicated or we suspect they have been driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,'' Counselman said.

People don't seem to be using fireworks as much as they used to, says the National Council on Fireworks Safety, in its Web page on the Internet. The site has information about states with fireworks laws and about injuries.

The site states that last year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 7,600 people were treated for such injuries across the country. In 1995, more than 11,000 people were treated.

The commission also reports on the site that most fireworks-related injuries over the past seven years resulted from misuse, not malfunction.

The site also lists safety tips and includes an interactive safety quiz for parents.

The most important thing to remember, Counselman said, is that children who use or play near fireworks should be strictly supervised by adults.

``I'm not encouraging breaking the law or anything,'' he said. ``I think all of us grew up with fireworks. For the most part, they are a lot of fun.

``Just like anything in life, if you use your common sense, you're probably going to be all right.''

Visit the National Council on Fireworks Safety Inc. Web site on the MEMO: Internet at www.fireworksafety.com/

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