Donovan says city’s tough fireworks ordinance will be enforced

Source: Milwaukee Common Council office

And he introduces Sparky Sparkowitz’s Facebook page…

The sounds of exploding fireworks near his home this past weekend reminded Alderman Bob Donovan that not everyone is getting the message about Milwaukee’s tough penalties for fireworks violations.

“You hear bottle rockets sometimes at one or two in the morning and wonder, ‘Who are these knuckleheads?’” said Alderman Donovan, chair of the Common Council’s Public Safety Committee.

“All it takes is one well-placed firework to blind someone or to start a home or a vehicle on fire,” he said. “So we will continue to try to do what we can to spread the word about the law and the very real dangers people face with fireworks.”

Alderman Donovan is reminding residents that the only valid permits for fireworks within the City of Milwaukee are those issued to festivals and other events with professionally run fireworks displays. “If you are caught possessing or using fireworks in your neighborhood, at a park, on a playground or anywhere else in the city, you will be facing major penalties, including fines of up $1,000 per violation,” he said.

Under the ordinance – toughened by the Common Council in recent years at the behest of the city’s Fireworks Task Force – fireworks violators who fail to pay fines can also get up to 40 days’ jail time. Also, parents and legal guardians can be fined up to $1,000 for allowing minors to use fireworks.

The Fireworks Task Force, co-chaired by Alderman Witkowski and Alderman Joe Davis, Sr., also helped launch Sparky the rocket, a mascot/character being used to inform residents that fireworks are illegal in the City of Milwaukee and to encourage the public to participate in the professional displays offered by festivals, U.S. Bank and the 4^th of July Commission.

Now residents can even become a “fan” of Sparky Sparkowitz on Facebook and follow updates and calendar entries related to scheduled public fireworks displays in the City of Milwaukee. More information on fireworks safety, the city’s policies and Sparky is also available on his webpage, www.milwaukee.gov/sparky.

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