This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, January 20th, 2022.

Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Sade Ajishegiri reports on a MLK Day event hosted by the Monroe County Library earlier this week. Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB Correspondent Nathaniel Weinzapfel reports on a bill in the statehouse that deals with fireworks regulation.

 Fireworks Regulation Bill Making Its Way through the Statehouse

Nathaniel Weinzapfel

While many Hoosiers may have rang in the New Year with the sounds and sights of fireworks in the night sky, many Hoosier veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder suffered through the holiday. A new bill in the Indiana State House is seeking to address the concerns of veteran groups by shrinking the time that fireworks are legally permitted during the year, from twelve days down to four days.

House Bill 1053 was introduced by Republican Representative Donna Schaibley of Carmel, Indiana and she has indicated that the bill is in response to her constituents who complain about the negative effects the fireworks have on them and their pets. Schaibley stated in an article for The Times of Northwest Indiana that “I like fireworks. I appreciate the beauty and tradition. But these are not small pyrotechnics. They are large and loud.” 

This is likely in response to the uptick in firework purchases and the new types of fireworks that have been developed in recent years. NPR reported during the Fourth of July of 2020 that firework purchases increased by 300% with many people opting to create their own firework displays instead of attending massive public firework shows. Cities around the country have also reported an uptick in police reports concerning the illegal usage of fireworks. For example, the city of Boston, Massachusetts saw calls about fireworks complaints up 2,300% in 2020. Similarly, fireworks have become more deadly over time. In 2020, fireworks caused the deaths of eighteen people in the United States, a jump from twelve people the year prior. According to the New York Times, the amount of people admitted to hospitals around the country due to fireworks has also increased by 56%, jumping from 10,000 injured in 2019 to 15,000 injured in 2020.

Representative Schaibley is also concerned for Hoosier veterans and pets who suffer through the holidays of the Fourth of July and New Years Eve. Many veterans suffering from PTSD can be triggered by the fireworks, which have the potential to bring them back to the battlefield due to the exploding sounds. This is especially frequent when fireworks are lit at unusual hours of the morning, specifically during the times when people would be sleeping. Veterans are particularly susceptible to the trauma inducing noises when they are startled out of slumber. 

Pets also suffer through fireworks. The booming noises and lights in the sky can cause pets to become frightened of the environment around them, and even become wary of their owners. This has led to many pets fleeing their homes during the firework holidays and ending up lost on the street. Owners often spend these holidays worried for their pets.

It is likely for these reasons that Representative Schaibley wants to limit the legally state permitted days that fireworks can be set off. At the current moment, localities around the state are allowed to set their own laws for fireworks except on the days legally allowed by the state, which are five days before and after the Fourth of July and the night and morning of New Years. The bill would limit state-wide permitted firework times to between certain times on July 3rd to 5th and between 10 am on New Years Eve and 1 am on January 1st. This will limit the legal time to set off fireworks to only a total of 27 hours a year.

Supporters of the bill believe that this gives power back to the local communities to s...