Do you really need fireworks?

IT MIGHT have been a rather unorthodox form of protest, but the concerned citizen or group that hung anti-fireworks signs from a tree opposite President’s House has managed to get a clear point across.

There’s a serious problem of fireworks overuse in the country. Despite repeated calls for reform and expressions of concern for the welfare of both human beings and animals (both pets and wildlife), the laws and regulations governing the use of fireworks remain antiquated, obscure and unenforced.

At the same, the commercial sale of these items has skyrocketed. That the pandemic has restricted gatherings has not killed demand. It has diverted fireworks use from large-scale public events to private homes and neighbourhood streets.

The law stipulates that a person wishing to set off fireworks in a populated area must get written permission from the Commissioner of Police or a superintendent in charge 48 hours in advance. Yet every year, hundreds of pyrotechnic explosions occur all over the country without sanction.

With so many people stuck at home, craving something to brighten their mood, this problem could become particularly acute this year. Fireworks retailers have reported brisk sales, with one even saying their warehouse was emptied on Boxing Day.

If the police are not moved to divert resources to tackling this issue, people who plan on lighting these devices should reconsider.

“Have compassion,” “Do you really need fireworks?” “Light candles instead” – these are just some of the messages borne by wooden signs and hung in the Savannah, as though a Christmas tree had decided to hold up placards instead of bearing ornaments.

Animal-rights groups have endorsed these messages, but it needs to be remembered that fireworks and illegal scratch bombs are classic forms of noise pollution that are deleterious to human health. This is especially so in relation to the frail, the elderly and the sick or simply anyone who depends on a good night’s rest to function the next day.

Fireworks can also cause serious injury to users or other people nearby and result in major damage to property.

In an interview with Newsday this week, animal-rights activist Patricia Green reported hearing fireworks as early as noon on some occasions when relaxing – or trying to relax – at her Glencoe home recently.

There can be no question that the lack of basic enforcement of the legal controls have left those controls useless, leaving ordinary citizens to suffer as much as their pets.

Every year, ahead of the holiday period, pet owners are advised to take photographs of their animals in case they get lost and to secure their premises as much as possible. This year we urge people to reconsider whether their own joy must be at the expense of other living creatures, whether people or animals.