Firework Vendor Reassures Customers Product Sold is Safe
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BROWNSVILLE – Firework vendors across the Rio Grande Valley are gearing up for one of the busiest seasons of the year. One vendor spoke out about the recent explosion at a fireworks market in Mexico and how it has his customers worried.
Ramiro Gonzalez Jr., co-owner of Mr. G’s Fireworks, said firework vendors in Texas have to follow strict rules implemented by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The rules cover from fireworks packaging to the amount of gunpowder in them.
Selling fireworks around this time of year is usually where the big profit is for vendors. However, Gonzalez voiced some concerns.
“First of all we need to get the record straight. That’s what we need – the record straight,” he stressed.
A deadly explosion at a fireworks market in Mexico this week reportedly claimed the lives of more than 30 people, with dozens still missing.
Gonzalez said an explosion like that is highly unlikely in the U.S. He said the sale of fireworks in the U.S. is strictly regulated, unlike in Mexico.
“Those aren’t fireworks. Those are like a bomb over there. Because they don’t regulate how much powder is put into each firework. They make those palomas this big and it’s a dynamite stick. So if one happens to go off, they’re all going to go off. That’s why you saw that big massive explosion,” he said.
The fireworks range in the amount of gunpowder they contain. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has set the maximum amount at 500 grams of gunpowder in fireworks available to the public.
Anyone over the age of 16 can purchase any of the fireworks without any certification requirements.
Even the packaging has to meet safety requirements. Gonzalez explained how the fuses have to be covered.
Jerry Hagins, spokesman for the Texas Department of Insurance with the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office, said that right now, there’s an inspector in the Valley, visiting every fireworks stand and warehouse making sure they meet safety standards.
They are inspected on a yearly basis.
“The inspectors will be looking at the types of fireworks that are sold. The only kinds that are permitted have to have approval from the Consumer Product Safety Organization,” Hagins said.
Anyone caught selling illegal fireworks, including fireworks illegally crossed in from Mexico, could face hefty fines.
“Something that dangerous would not be allowed to be in a fireworks retail operation,” he said.
Investigators will also seize the products and repeat offenders risk getting shut down.
Hagins said the fireworks business structures are also closely regulated. They are kept at a distance from other structures to make sure if an incident did occur it would be contained.
Gonzalez said it’s simple – he follows the rules to stay in business.
“A lot of the customers know that it’s totally different here than it is in Mexico,” he said.
He makes sure his customers have a safe celebration.
Gonzalez said the customers also have to practice safety. He said there should always be adult supervision when popping fireworks and people should douse the popped fireworks to make sure they are completely extinguished.
State officials also ask the people to never purchase fireworks from anyone selling them from their home, back of their car or at a flea market. Those fireworks may have not gone through safety checks.
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