Firework sales: Legal burden is on the customer
Cruzito Martinez, center, tries to talk his parents into buying smoke bombs at the TNT fireworks stand on 12th St. and Wall Ave. in Ogden on Tuesday, July 1, 2015.
Cruzito Martinez asks his parents for fireworks at the TNT fireworks stand on 12th St. and Wall Ave. in Ogden on Tuesday, July 1, 2015.
Stacks of aerial fireworks line the tables at the TNT fireworks stand on 12th St. and Wall Ave. in Ogden on Tuesday, July 1, 2015.
OGDEN — Utah fire agencies have prescribed a set of firework restrictions in portions of their cities, including all Ogden parks and the area east of U.S. 89. But just because you can’t set off the fireworks everywhere doesn’t mean you can’t buy them.
Michael Theel, firework salesman at the TNT tent on 12th Street and Wall Avenue, takes all the precautions necessary to ensure his customers know where they can and cannot set off the fireworks they purchase. In addition to the verbal warning he gives his customers, the restricted area map is taped to the front desk next to the cash register.
“In order for me to even open, I had to have my fire marshal permit hanging on the wall,” Theel said. “They came through and made sure everything we have in this tent is legal in the state of Utah.”
Theel said he has also seen the fire marshal sitting in the parking lot and observing the tent, as if to ensure all fireworks sold are legal and sold only to people over 16.
“This firework goes high into the air and is very loud,” Theel said, gesturing toward a large firework labeled Earth Shaker. “The biggest aerial we have in this tent goes maybe 100-115 feet in the air. I try to make sure people know where and when they can set these off.”
BENJAMIN ZACK/STANDARD-EXAMINER
Michael R. Theel, left, shows off the different aerial fireworks packages to Israel Escobedo and Caressa Martinez at the TNT fireworks stand on 12th St. and Wall Ave. in Ogden on Tuesday, July 1, 2015.
Michael R. Theel, left, shows off the different aerial fireworks packages to Israel Escobedo and Caressa Martinez at the TNT fireworks stand on 12th St. and Wall Ave. in Ogden on Tuesday, July 1, 2015.
Although restrictions are enforced more than ever, firework tent sales have stayed the same throughout the years, Theel said.
“The restrictions haven’t affected business,” he said. “It’s generally slow up to this point, but this weekend we will be swamped. On Friday and Saturday alone I will probably sell 75 percent of the fireworks in this tent.”
Whether it be patriotism or bullheadedness, locals in these restricted areas have already pushed the limits of the fireworks they’ve sent into the air this summer. Theel believes some ignore the rules against illegal fireworks altogether.
“People will still drive up to Wyoming to buy fireworks,” Theel said. “They do that because we don’t have bottle rockets, firecrackers, or Roman candles in these tents. It still happens, but people are getting caught a lot more frequently.”
Because aerial and noise-making fireworks can still be legally bought from roadside tents in Utah, it is the responsibility of the customer to make sure they are well-informed of firework laws and restrictions.
“Just because customers can buy them here doesn’t mean they won’t get in trouble,” Theel said.
Contact reporter Mekenna Malan at 801-625-4280 or mmalan@standard.net.