Fireworks Laws Are For Your Safety

This weekend people across the country will be celebrating the 4th of July a few days early. <br/><br/>Fireworks stands are already open and doing great business across eastern Oklahoma. News on 6 reporter

Monday, June 26th 2006, 10:57 am

By: News On 6

This weekend people across the country will be celebrating the 4th of July a few days early.

Fireworks stands are already open and doing great business across eastern Oklahoma. News on 6 reporter Jennifer Loren has this year's rules to make sure you have a safe holiday.

"What does that one do?" Mike Zachery and his son are on their annual fireworks shopping trip. Every 4th of July they put on a big show. "Family gathering. We get around a bunch of kids and old folks get out, just kind of enjoy. Let the kids do their thing."

$150 later, they're pretty sure they're ready for this holiday weekend, which always takes place in the country. "Country, in the country, countryside."

Daniel Auffenberg and his family plan to shoot off their fireworks on Grand Lake. "My friend, he's like, he has this big dock and we go there and launch them off the dock." All of these plans and none involve the city of Tulsa. "Well I know they're illegal in Tulsa. Like you can't shoot them in Tulsa city limits."

But what you may not know is that itâ€™s also illegal to possess, buy or sell fireworks in Tulsa. Even though the fireworks stands may seem like they're in the Tulsa City limits, they're actually in little pockets of county land, which are just outside the city limits.

Tulsa Fire Departmentâ€™s Mike Harris: "What we recommend is people will buy those at the last minute on your way out of town and then when you get to your destination you can light your fireworks safely."

But if you're staying in town and you see someone breaking the law, firefighters say they'll do their best to respond. But remember they have to respond to the calls that are most threatening to your safety. "We receive probably hundreds and hundreds of calls during this short time and with the number of police officers we have and also firefighters we can only respond to so many."

The City of Broken Arrow is allowing fireworks in their city limits for the second year in a row. They're allowing people to buy $20 fireworks permits.