Parishwide firework ban planned on the horizon?

The bang of fireworks could fizzle permanently in unincorporated St. Tammany if the Parish Council sets in motion a ban to sell and use the booming bombs parishwide.

A special hearing to discuss the possible ordinance will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday at the parish governmental complex at 21490 Koop Drive.

The meeting is open to the public.

It’s unclear if the council will cast a vote on the matter or if members will just take the matter under advisement, a council clerk said. If a favorable vote is cast, the item must be reviewed by the public and voted on again at a later date for final adoption.

If approved, the measure, spearheaded by Parish Councilmen Marty Gould of Covington and Henry Billiot of Mandeville, would reverse a law that makes it legal to use and sell fireworks, other than bottlerockets, in unincorporated St. Tammany.

Gould could not be reached for comment, but Billiot has said the proposal is strictly a safety issue.

In 2006, the last year on record, 9,200 firework related injuries occurred nationwide, a dip from 10,800 recorded the previous year, according to statistics from the Washington, D.C.-based National Council on Firework Safety.

Currently, children under the age of 15 are prohibited from purchasing fireworks. Billiot wants to amend the law to allow only people over 18 to purchase fireworks.

While fireworks are legal in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish except for bottle rockets, the laws in city jurisdictions differ.

In Covington, Mandeville and Slidell, the sale and use of fireworks is illegal. But in Pearl River, residents can use fireworks only on the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve.

Also, it is legal to sell fireworks within Pearl River city limits during the two holidays.