Lebanon County officials are urging residents to practice caution given the potentially dangerous combination of high heat, dry conditions, alcohol use, and fireworks over the July 4th weekend.
Bob Dowd, director of Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services, spoke with LebTown on Wednesday about the risks associated with setting off fireworks or causing a fire during dry conditions that the Lebanon Valley are currently experiencing.
He reiterated major portions of that same messaging on Thursday during a meeting of Lebanon County Commissioners, also addressing dry conditions and the recent drought warning that was issued.
Fireworks during dry weather
“It doesn’t matter if it’s fireworks or a camp fire or whatever, if you are responsible for a fire and especially if there was some sort of negligent activity, like shooting fireworks off in a way that is not allowed, that’s both potentially criminal and you are civilly liable for the damage,” Dowd said Wednesday. “Fireworks are a very risky thing and they have to be used responsibly. And people setting off fireworks need to be aware of the fact that they’re responsible for any damage that occurs.”
Dowd noted municipal regulations must also be followed.
“With fireworks, the bottom line is, you’re responsible and you have to use them safely. And there are lots of requirements, too,” he said. “Distance from structure, distance from edge of property line. Certain municipalities have additional ordinances that govern how they can be set off and you have to be in compliance with all laws. And even if you’re in compliance with the laws, you can still be civilly liable for any damages that are caused.”
Dowd provided to LebTown information from the Pennsylvania State Police website:
- Cannot be ignited or discharged on public or private property without express permission of the property owner.
- Cannot be directed at another person.
- Cannot be discharged from or directed at a building or vehicle.
- Cannot be discharged within 150 feet of a building or vehicle regardless if the building or vehicle is owned by the user of the consumer fireworks.
- Cannot be discharged while the person is under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance or another drug.
Municipalities may restrict use of consumer fireworks between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. except:
- July 2, 3, 4 and Dec. 31 when they may be used until 1 a.m.
- If July 4 falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday they may be used until 1 a.m. on the immediately preceding and following Friday and Saturday.
- Check with your local municipality for applicable local ordinances.
Dowd provided an example of negligence, saying regulations require fireworks be ignited at least 150 feet from a structure but someone lights them at 50 feet instead.
“You’ve now done something that was against the law, which means if that structure catches fire, it’s criminal, not just for the fireworks going off, but because it can be negligent and all the damage you caused,” Dowd said. “I’m not a lawyer, so I really don’t wanna go into a lot of detail about what that could mean, but the bottom line is you have to use them in a way that is allowed by law.”
Dowd urged residents to attend the fireworks show at the Lebanon County Expo Center & Fairgrounds at 9:15 p.m. Saturday. The fireworks display will be extra large to mark the 250th anniversary celebration of the nation’s birth.
“The bottom line is if you want to see fireworks, the best place to see them is going to be at the fairgrounds,” Dowd said Wednesday. “I’ve been told it is going to be twice the display of previous years.”
Drought-like conditions
Dowd told commissioners Thursday a longer-term concern is the lack of rainfall, which is leading to drought-like conditions across the Lebanon Valley. He noted the area has been upgraded to a drought warning, adding that’s “a significant change to watch” since the county is 5.1 inches below its normal precipitation level as of Thursday afternoon.
“That kind of triggers some voluntary conservation requests coming down. The goal is to reduce consumption by 10 to 15% in hopes that we don’t get ourselves in bigger trouble later on,” Dowd said. “So it is really important that everybody be paying attention to that, doing those little things like taking shorter showers, checking for leaks, anything that you can to conserve water because it could become a much bigger issue later on.”
A bigger worry is a lack of rain in the long-term forecast to replenish the water table.
“Our concerns are there isn’t much rain forecasted in the future, so we don’t know how long this is going to last, and if it will rise to the next level where it goes from a voluntary conservation effort to mandatory changes,” Dowd said.
ABC-27 reported Thursday evening that the Lebanon Valley is in a moderate to severe drought situation, and that temperatures in Lebanon County topped 100 degrees earlier in the day.
Extreme heat
Dowd noted during the meeting that extreme heat is expected to last through the holiday weekend, and said residents should practice caution.
“It catches up to you really quickly,” he said. “So it’s important that you stay hydrated. It’s really important that you stay cool. And don’t push your luck. Alcohol amplifies the problem. So over a holiday weekend, everybody should be aware of the fact that it’s really hot outside and it will sneak up on you fast.”
At this time there are no plans for cooling stations, Dowd said. “We haven’t seen a need yet and we’ve asked, we have reached out to our municipal partners to find out if anybody is doing them, and at this point nobody has them planned.”
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