Brownsville, Texas—Changes in state law are aimed at improving safety and sales during the summer fireworks season that begins one minute past midnight tonight.
State law allows sales across all 254 Texas counties but maintains a ban on use within city limits. The only exception is made for licensed displays, such as the annual city-sponsored fireworks show, held annually at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College ITEC Campus on Mexico Boulevard.
The most significant changes to the state’s fireworks law raise the age for eligible vendors and open the selling season earlier in 2008.
“I’m expecting a good turnout this year,” Raul Gonzalez said Friday. “But I’m always hoping for the best.”
Gonzalez owns 40 Texas G’s Fireworks in the Rio Grande Valley, including 10 in Brownsville.
Starting next year, vendors like Texas G’s can sell in any Texas city within 100 miles of the Mexican border between May 1-5, in observance of Cinco de Mayo.
Other changes raised the age for eligible vendors from 12 to 16 and required they be accompanied by an adult, 18 or older. Only family members can request an exception to the change but must adhere to the requirement for adult oversight.
Patrons must still be at least 16 years old to purchase fireworks.
All bets are off if the county’s drought index passes 575 on the Keetch-Byram Dryness Index, which measures drought levels on a scale from 0 to 800. According to the GTZ Integrated Forest Management Project, the scale is based on the moisture content of the soil by using a formula that takes into account the mean annual rainfall for an area, the amount of rainfall on the day in question and the maximum temperature for the day.
When drought conditions exist, no fireworks can be sold or used for risk of igniting dry brush.
Currently, all Texas counties are safe from the drought indicator. Hidalgo and Starr counties are near the cap with 548 and 533, respectively.
The drought index reading for Cameron County was 513 Friday.
Violating firework laws could result in fines up to $2,000 and create dangerous condition.
“We’ve been pretty good on not having any major accidents in the past two years,” said Brownsville Fire Marshall Ben Nuñez. “We’re hoping that continues.”
The Brownsville Herald
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