Private Fireworks Displays in Portsmouth -- Celebration or Aggravation?

It's the 4th of July and once again huge private fireworks displays are going on in our neighborhood – blasts that last for hours. I live in the middle of a large residential community just a few blocks from institutions like SOMC and Hillview Retirement Center. I wonder how people at these facilities feel about the din of these inescapable private holiday displays. In fact, I wonder if it even matters to their celebratory neighbors.

While some in the neighborhood do enjoy the loud explosions and colorful displays, I cannot say I am a big fan. The length of the shows and the continuous reports of the fireworks – which seem so much louder than the old typical family “pops” and “cracks” once commonly associated with the holiday – make the evening an intense experience that certainly shatters peace and quiet.

Maybe I am not partial to these private displays because I'm now a old geezer. I admit I am a cranky old man who is now much fonder of gentler pleasures than explosive encounters. I don't know why I have changed. Call me “over the hill” and a “stick in the mud.” As a younger man, I was on the other side of that hill and my stick was not stuck in the geriatric mire. I accept my infirmities. I do still love fireworks in what I consider their proper place. Now, I feel I am entitled to relate my honest irritation to these big neighborhood shows.

The fireworks’ loud, unpredictable bangs and whizzing explosions can have negative effects on many people. Veterans with PTSD, children on the autism spectrum, survivors of gun violence, pets, and even wildlife routinely suffer on July 4th. Fireworks are dangerous and, used improperly, they can kill and maim. Individuals most at risk are small children, the elderly, and people with existing respiratory conditions.

I am a pet owner, and I see my dogs' frightened reactions to the continual displays. During these fireworks shows, animal owners like me must keep their frightened dogs, cats and other pets inside the house, so that the animals are safe and can’t run away.

Even inside the house, many suffer. Consider a dog’s hearing is many times more acute than a human's. Dogs can hear up to 60,000hz while humans only hear 20,000hz. Fireworks, which arrive without warning, can trigger a “startle response” in dogs, generating acute anxiety and fear in a situation they can’t understand. Just like in people, the startle response causes racing hearts, a surge of adrenalin, and a need to flee. Shelters routinely report an influx of lost dogs after the 4th as terrified animals run for their lives. According to the ASPCA, more dogs get lost on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year.

Loud noises can sometimes be a trigger for veterans who suffer from PTSD. The unexpected nature of the fireworks is probably the worst part. Hyperarousal, a core component of PTSD, occurs when a person is hyper-alert to any sign of threat – the victim is constantly on edge, easily startled and continuously screening the environment.

Although not every individual who lives with PTSD may be affected by fireworks, many veterans are stepping up to raise awareness of those who might be. In 2015, Kevin Rhoades, a Marine veteran who suffers from PTSD, planted a sign outside his home: “Combat Veteran Lives Here. Please Be Courteous with Fireworks.”

Rhoades said in an interview, “ It’s not that I don’t want people to have fun. On the Fourth of July I’m going to pop my own fireworks. But when you get woken up at two, three o’clock in the morning, it brings back those memories.”

I guess, not that it matters to most, but what does Ohio law say about fireworks? The Ohio fireworks law states that of the many types of fireworks, only a small percentage may be legally used in Ohio. These types are known as "novelty" fireworks and include things like sparklers, snaps, glow snakes and smoke bombs. These items are sold across the state and may be used by anyone for their festivities.

Excluding those few items, all other fireworks and pyrotechnics cannot be fired legally in the state of Ohio without a license. While some fireworks, known as "consumer" fireworks, including items such as firecrackers and bottle rockets, can be legally purchased by anyone over the age of 18, the purchaser must sign a form stating that they will transport the fireworks outside of the state within 48 hours.

A further restricted category of fireworks, known as "exhibitor" fireworks, are limited to discharge by licensed exhibitors. These are the large, colorful types of fireworks typically seen at city celebrations and festivals.

The loud booms and whizzes I hear in my home seem to be in the “exhibitor” category. I know these displays are so intense that they disturb the peace of those living many blocks away. In fact, the explosions are so extensive I wonder how citizens can afford the expense of the private shows. The close proximity of houses here makes hours of display inadvisable for the city – fire hazards do exist.

One solution to the Portsmouth noise pollution on the 4^th of July is simply to move fireworks displays to safer, more rural areas. Of course, government permission to designate such places “safe zones” flies in the face of current state law which prohibits the larger, more powerful fireworks. Still, an open field some distance from residents – say maybe a location near the Scioto River – would be much more conducive to containing the clamor and thus, less likely to rattle the bones of homeowners.

And, there is another easy way to change the celebrations – by lowering the impact of the loud, sudden, unpredictable, percussive noises that come with fireworks. “Silent” fireworks can deliver the same cascading colors but without the formidable decibels and startling explosions that erupt in the night sky.

While these silent fireworks are stunning, they lack the big explosive power that drives mega-displays high into the air for viewing by thousands. Yet, they are ideal for smaller events. The trade-off in scale is a welcome one for the many for whom these celebrations bring discomfort.

“Silent” fireworks aren’t a new invention. In fact, they have been around for a long time as part of regular fireworks displays, including the “comet display” that shoots into the air with a long sparking tail, or the “flying fish” whose scattering sparkles swim out from a silent boom like little tadpoles. These fireworks actually display the most stunning colors, more so than big explosions.

The most explosive fireworks, the ones with the biggest booms, have little color because the force can shatter the pellets that carry the little “stars” that emit signature colors of green, red, and blue. Despite the name, these more colorful fireworks aren’t entirely silent, but they are significantly quieter, registering at far below the typical 150-170 decibels of the loud fireworks, which can cause hearing damage.

So, private, exhibitor fireworks shows can be designed to please the eyes without pummeling the ears. Designers of quiet fireworks programs can forgo the big explosions and still deliver a stunning show. Who knew? The hope is that softer celebrations mean less stress for noise-sensitive children, veterans, older people, pets and wildlife.

“We’ve seen more competitors in the last decade or so,” said Rino Sampieri, a senior display manager at Fantastic Fireworks, a company based in England that started selling a quiet fireworks package 30 years ago. “Today, quiet fireworks are part of everybody’s inventory.”

(Steph Yin. “‘Quiet Fireworks’ Promise Relief for Children and Animals.”

The New York Times. June 30, 2016.)

So-called "quiet fireworks" have yet to take off in the United States, but are being pushed as an alternative that would reduce the impact of fireworks on pets, kids and others who are sensitive to loud sounds. People can get these fireworks online from companies like Epic Fireworks and from small fireworks stands across the country.

Now that you've read my concerns, I'm sure you are still going to conduct your 4^th of July fireworks displays any way you want. As you say, “It is my damned right as a red, white, and blue, 'Merican.” So, if you choose the big bangs over less noisy alternatives, maybe you might still consider that old farts – dinosaurs like me soon to be crossing the Rainbow Bridge – and their aged, furry best friends, are in your beer-goggled midst.

Could you at least keep the racket to one night and to a relatively short time within reasonable hours? If you don't, grandpa may just get so worked up he'll write some stupid blog entry that no one will read. And, you know you don't want him to do that. By the way, why wasn't he invited to the party, anyway?

"Silent" Fireworks