If you bought your fireworks in Arlington, “Those are approved fireworks,” said Capt. Gregg Karl, the public information officer for the Arlington County Fire Department.
The basic rule is that the fireworks cannot emit flame or sparks more than 12 feet.
"Anything that shoots further than that, they're not legal," he said.
He also reminded people to stay 15 to 25 feet from buildings and other combustibles (downed trees, or brush piles, for instance).
“Make sure...that they wet the grass” in the area that people set off the fireworks. “We do have very dry conditions” given the days of heat since the storms Friday.
The fire department will send out inspectors tomorrow. First offenses come with a wrist-slapping “notice of violation.” The second one comes with a summons to appear in court.
The department has a 42 page list of all permissible fireworks (including name and item number). In general, the county will approve Fountains, Party Poppers, Smoke and Filter Devices, Snakes, and Sparklers since these meet the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory criteria.
Here are a few highlights:
- FLASH RAY GUN
- WHISTLING PETE
- OPEN FLOWER & HAPPY BIRD (the number of them with lotus-petal-type names is amazing)
- SPARKLER
- PRO GROUND PATRIOTIC DISPLAY
- FIRESTORM
- MISSILE WAR
- 10" E-Z GLOW PUNK (LIGHTENING PUNK)
- (And about 40 pages more....)
