Fireworks sales start next week

    Noisy evenings filled with firecrackers and lit-up skies are about to begin as the sale of fireworks in Nebraska can start next week.
    In Imperial, fireworks can be discharged starting next Thursday, June 24, and continue through the July 4 holiday.
    Imperial has a city code that governs local fireworks, which sets time limits for their discharge each day.
    It states that fireworks can be discharged only between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. from June 24 through July 3.
    On July 4, the time is extended until 11:59 p.m.
    Police Chief Ryan Wisnieski encourages people to be conscious of their neighbors and follow the ordinance on the allowed times for using fireworks.
    Those exceeding the time limits can be cited and fined $25, according to city code.
    Members of the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department are again planning a fireworks display for Saturday, July 3, starting about 9:15 p.m. at the Chase County fairgrounds, with a July 4 rain date.
New state law on fireworks
    Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed LB 152 into law May 5, which affects which fireworks are legal for sale in the state.
    LB 152 had the emergency clause so is in effect for this summer.
    According to Regina Shields, legal counsel with the NE State Fire Marshal Agency, LB 152 put Nebraska in line with federal language regulating fireworks.    
    Specifically, the new law addresses:
    1) Firecrackers containing more than 50 milligrams of explosive composition;
    2) Nighttime parachutes; and
    3) Fireworks shot into the air that could cause ignition when coming to the ground.
    Shields said regarding #1, federal law does not allow firecrackers that have more than 50 milligrams of explosives, so that was moot in state law.
    Nighttime parachutes are often confused with sky lanterns, she said. Sky lanterns look more like a balloon and have an open flame, she said, and those remain illegal in Nebraska.
    Redesign of the nighttime parachutes was required by the feds, she added, so they cannot come down hot. After coming into the country from foreign manufacturers, the nighttime parachutes are also tested by the Consumer Product Safety Commission so they meet the federal requirements.
    More federal requirements also changed #3, she said, with more safety measures intact so fireworks do not cause ground fires.