Backfire from fireworks law could lead to changes

INDIANAPOLIS Three Northwest Indiana legislators who voted this year to legalize fireworks now say they want to give cities and counties the power to impose tighter restrictions on backyard barrages.A fourth local lawmaker, meanwhile, says he wants to completely scrap Indiana's new fireworks law and make sparklers the only Independence Day incendiary device available to Hoosiers.
Those moves come after a July 4 holiday in which fireworks were blamed for three home fires and six injuries in Porter County.Through phone calls, complaints and letters to the editor, dozens of citizens and several local officials have accused area legislators of temporally transforming tranquil neighborhoods into veritable war zones. And the city councils of Hammond, Schererville and Valparaiso are taking measures to formally voice their displeasure with state officials, including Gov. Mitch Daniels.For two decades the state largely turned a blind eye to illegal fireworks, allowing them to be sold in Indiana, but requiring Hoosiers to sign an affidavit promising to cross state lines before igniting their purchases.Arguing they were tired of making liars out of otherwise law-abiding Hoosiers, state legislators voted in March to completely legalize fireworks, provided they are used on private property between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., with an extension until midnight for holidays.Lawmakers won support from Daniels and State Fire Marshal Roger Johnson by imposing a 5 percent "public safety" tax on fireworks that is expected to generate $1 million a year for regional firefighter training."I"m all in favor of the regional training centers, I think that's a great idea," said Valparaiso Councilman John Bowker. "(But) as I said at the City Council meeting, weren't three house fires that night (July 4) enough training?"Bowker, who is drafting a resolution asking legislators to scale back the new law, said he has heard gripes from nearly four dozen constituents. This after getting no complaints in past years.The statewide impact of the new law is not yet clear. News reports in other metropolitan areas, especially Fort Wayne, indicate similar citizen angst.Chicago police received 4,248 firework complaint calls this year, a 25 percent increase over 2005. But officials there say the ubiquity of cell phones might be more to blame than Indiana's new law. Fireworks largely are illegal in Illinois.Northwest Indiana police and fire officials, as well as those in Lansing and Crete, reported heavy call volumes this year, though no hard numbers are available.Indiana hospitals began tracking firework-related injuries last month, but state officials say those figures won't be available for several months. The same goes for firework sales, which were not specifically tracked by the state prior to last month.Fireworks caused 494 injuries in Indiana from May 2003 through December 2004, the last time the state kept track. That reporting period was pushed for by state Rep. Charlie Brown, a staunch fireworks opponent who voted against legalization this spring.Brown, a Gary Democrat, now says he will seek to repeal the new law and make sparklers the only fireworks legal for use in Indiana."I would not interfere with the tax that would provide for the firefighters' training," Brown said. "It may reduce (the revenue) tremendously, if I'm successful in getting it through."House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, and some local legislators say it's unlikely there would be enough support in the 150-member General Assembly for an outright ban on fireworks.State Rep. Ralph Ayres, R-Chesterton, and state Sen. Vic Heinold, R-Kouts, who both voted to legalize fireworks, say they will work to pass such a law next year. They're not yet sure whether the legislation would allow local governments to enact outright bans, or simply enable them to restrict the places and times of year and day in which fireworks are allowed."I think the way to do it is to allow community standards to prevail," Ayres said. "That was never requested during the legislative process. There was no input against the legislation in committee."State Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point, issues a press release Friday saying he would support such legislation.