The City of Lubbock Wants You To Stop Using Fireworks In The City
Let's be honest, a lot of people love shooting off fireworks. Adults and kids alike get a thrill out of blowing stuff up, and fireworks have the added pleasure of making cool designs and noises.
Also, fireworks are easy to get. They are illegal inside the city limits of Lubbock, but take about six steps out side the city limits and there are fireworks stands all over the place. Some are much more than stands and have become sort of like mega firework centers.
Fireworks are big business and they can be big fundraisers too.
But that doesn't mean the City of Lubbock wants them inside the city limits. On Tuesday the City of Lubbock began a social media campaign to remind people the dangers of fireworks and that they are illegal inside the City of Lubbock. It seems like a losing battle every year though for the City of Lubbock, but I get why they do it.
The City of Lubbock even has a facts sheet about why shooting off fireworks inside the City is bad. First they point to national stats that show an average of seven people die a year from fireworks since 2002. 11,000-13,000 people are injured every year due to fireworks, and some of those injuries can be gruesome.
The City of Lubbock also reported that in the last 3 years, 49 fires were caused by fireworks causing $120,000 in damages, but also put $8.4 million dollars of property at risk.
One stat I didn't see listed? How many people have been cited/fined for fireworks inside the City of Lubbock. The City can warn people all they want, but each year I hear fireworks in my neighborhood and you probably do as well. Is the City actually cracking down or just warning people?