Fireworks Shaming

[MillauFr]

I live in the Los Angeles suburbs. Our neighborhood Facebook group is full of the messages about the fireworks and how they affect animals and soldiers and others with PTSD because they are really loud.

In California couldn't one firework burn down hundreds of thousands of acres?

 

[bcla]

In California couldn't one firework burn down hundreds of thousands of acres?

It was basically fireworks that started last year's El Dorado Fire that burned through more than 20,000 acres.

However, I've been to a few places that legally sell so-called "safe and sane" fireworks that don't explode or use rockets. I visited a relative one year during 4th of July and bought a few sparklers. That wasn't terribly dangerous being used on a sidewalk, but my relatives told me that the park about a block away from their house was a popular spot for people to set them off, and the fire department had a truck ready right there to put stuff out.

 

[Kellydelly]

At one point, someone wrote "Lady, your damn dog barks 24 hours a day and disturbs our neighborhood every single day of the year. You obviously don't care about your dog any other time." It got over 100 likes.

I totally wanted to write that response to the people in my neighbor group *****ing about the fireworks in my neighborhood. Annoying dogs are worse, it's all day long 24/7.

 

[China Expat]

Oh yes. My neighborhood in So Cal lights off fireworks for 30 days ...illegal big ones. The Next Door app blows up daily about fireworks, or the occasional earthquake. I miss the innocence of childhood fireworks on my street; today they are dangerous and awful and have no connection to the holiday's meaning. I hate this night.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Where do you people live that you have people setting off fireworks at all hours for days on end? I mean, come on. I love fireworks (since I’m a normal, fun loving, non-complaining-about-everything person) and we sat in our front yard tonight and enjoyed the amazing fireworks display our neighbor put on this evening. In our area the “professional” displays aren’t until tomorrow for some reason so I was happy to have some to watch today. Instead of sitting inside complaining about the noise why don’t you go outside and enjoy the show? And stop expecting people to change their behavior and traditions because you don’t agree with what they’re doing.

 

[DisLiss]

But the chatter is mainly focused on animals. So many people wanting others to stop traditions because of pets.
Anything like this happening in your neighborhood?

Apparently not because without a doubt this year we had far more neighborhood fireworks being set off than ever before. And I mean both that far more houses were setting them off AND that everyone seemed to have purchased more this year than in years before. (We also saw far more homes setting off airborne fireworks as opposed to driveway fountain type.)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Where do you people live that you have people setting off fireworks at all hours for days on end? I mean, come on. I love fireworks (since I’m a normal, fun loving, non-complaining-about-everything person) and we sat in our front yard tonight and enjoyed the amazing fireworks display our neighbor put on this evening. In our area the “professional” displays aren’t until tomorrow for some reason so I was happy to have some to watch today. Instead of sitting inside complaining about the noise why don’t you go outside and enjoy the show? And stop expecting people to change their behavior and traditions because you don’t agree with what they’re doing.

You're complaining about people complaining. I live and let live here, I may not like hearing the fireworks all the time but yeah. Last thing I would do is tell people what to do regardless of what side of the fence they are on here. YMMV

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I’ll have to read through all the responses, but they are illegal in all forms in our city. And considering we’re under severe drought and high fire danger, anybody who does them deserves to be shamed.

In normal years, I don’t love them, but I don’t care what others do.

ETA: now that I’ve checked social media, yes there is fighting on the neighborhood pages about it.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Where do you people live that you have people setting off fireworks at all hours for days on end?

I live in the Los Angeles area (about 15 minutes south of LAX by fwy), and the loud fireworks - they sound more like rockets exploding - have been going on since Mothers Day. They also go off when the Lakers win, Dodgers win, Clippers win... To me, they were worse last year than this year.

These aren't the safe & sane fireworks, but probably the ones that you can buy out in the desert when going cross country. In my younger days I don't remember car alarms going off due to the strength of them going off. As long as the ones being lit in front of my house don't go off and burn my car or house I don't care about the ones they are lighting tonight. Families are having fun, so I'm happy to hear that going on.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I have no problem with fireworks on /near holidays. We are prepared...animals are up and safe. It’s not even a blip on our radar.

 

[ajsanford]

We live in a neighborhood right by downtown Houston- all the houses are wood bungalows and close together. They have been going off all night, and we were seriously worried about our dog having a panic attack- it’s so sad! Luckily our actual baby sleeps through it (granted last year when he was 2 weeks old, I was about ready to rip someone’s head off on the 4th of July).

Either way, it’s illegal here and dangerous to set them off where I live! Go out to some land or the lake and have at it…. I never thought about soldiers with PTSD, but my heart goes out to them…. That is way harder and more important than my terrified dog.

 

[RedAngie]

 

[RedAngie]

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Not on Facebook. I found people particularly unhappy on there.

I’ve never really cared about fireworks one way or another. We don’t get too many... until this year. Two families from California moved into houses on both sides of us in the last month and apparently the Disney fireworks show was in front of our house tonight. Lol. I stuck my head out of the front door for a bit and at one point I heard them shrieking with joy, “These are illegal in California!!”

I know people set them off for Independence Day. But I’ve never actually associated fireworks with freedom. Now I do. To my California neighbors, I love your fireworks.

 

[lifesavacation]

One of my sons is a firefighter and he’s already been called for a couple of brush fires tonight. I hope he and the rest of his station stay safe.

I honestly hate home fireworks due to the safety issues they pose. I get it though, everything last year was cancelled so people really want to celebrate this year.

 

[Grand Koalafornian]

They don't care about it in my neighborhood either. It's cute that a lot of you say that it's been going on for "days" in your neighborhood and it's driving you crazy. Try living in my neighborhood. People bought fireworks and explosives three or four months ago and have been doing it nearly every single Friday and Saturday night for months. Today is July 4th. They will still be setting off fireworks in September around here. It doesn't end. It's ridiculous! We have an 11:00 p.m. noise curfew in the township limits here. They'll still be setting the fireworks off at 2:00 in the morning. The police won't do anything about it.

Same here. Every weekend from April to September, and all this week, day and night. Plus some random weeknight and week days, when I’m try to work. It’s just that this year and las year have gotten worse (I think because people were going stir crazy last year, and this year they want to celebrate extra).

I didn’t realize it until I was in the roof watching them, but the last three nights, my dreams have involved explosions that seem to keep going. The flashes and booms from the fireworks are making their way into my dreams.

I texted my friend who’s a PT at the local VA hospital and she told me every year, she gets calls from veterans who need extra support. I’m pretty sure most of them are calling therapists and/or psychiatrists before physical therapists, but they’re probably overwhelmed.

Just because some veterans find something that works doesn’t mean that they all do. A lot of her veterans have had limbs amputated from their injuries. Not sure if that has any effect on PTSD, but I think it might. When they come back to the present, their injury is still there/they are still missing that limb.

 

[DisneyOma]

It's been raining here for days, so it's been relatively quiet, thank goodness. I live in a densely packed neighborhood (less than a quarter acre per yard) so fireworks are intrusive, to say the least. The town did their own display last night, so that might keep the idiots quiet?

Personal fireworks are illegal here, legal the next state over, which is just a town away. So of course people buy tons and bring them over state lines. There are usually state troopers at the border, but the locals know the back routes to take to avoid them. And sadly, our cops in town let a lot of it slide.

 

[jrmasm]

We’ve been hearing them since Wednesday night.

Fireworks are legal to buy here but not legal to set off most place. Not that anyone cares. Their fun is all that matters.

After spending 2 hours in my bathroom last night with two terrified dogs, I hate everyone this morning. And that was after finally calming them when some jack hole set off M80s at 5:30pm.

Got up this morning to news that an 8 year old child died in a house fire suspected to be caused by an improperly disposed of firework.

 

[C&Jx2]

It wouldn’t bother me if it were a few hours on the actual 4th, but three nights a week all summer is pretty annoying.

 

[RedAngie]

We've had the home fireworks for many years in addition to the neighborhood legal ones. Several years ago one landed on our roof and our house caught on fire (back in '79 we had a shake shingle roof). Luckily, my father and brother were home so they were able to grab the hose and start watering it down until the fire department showed up. Just the roof was burned and the whole interior of our house had to be repainted, and other stuff due to the fire and water damage, but it was relatively small, thank goodness. About 5 years after that a nearby palm tree caught fire (on the cross street so not too close to our house).

This reminds me of an incident 40ish years ago. My local weekly paper published a police incident report. One time while reading it I noticed my cousin who lived two blocks away was arrested.

Through the family grapevine we found out he and several college buddies were drunk and shooting off fireworks. His parents were away on vacation.

Somehow a flying firework got lodged under a shingle on the neighbor’s house. They noticed but didn’t do anything. It started smoldering a bit but didn’t catch on fire for an hour or so, after the bunch of idiots had left.

Other neighbors saw them shooting off the fireworks and ratted them out to the police after the firetrucks arrived. The next day police went to the house to question my cousin who was still drunk and he became belligerent and was arrested.

I don’t know how long he was in custody or what fine/punishment he received. His parents were furious and likely gave him holy hell. “No TV for a WEEK for this!!!”

Damage to the neighbor’s house was relatively minor, covered by insurance, but he or his parents reimbursed the deductible.

I’ve seen this cousin dozens of times since then but have no idea if he knows that I know.