Quote:
|
Originally Posted by tooth
This is right up there with the mandatory seat-belt laws. 
Look, if I want to blow my hand off, or light my house on fire, let me. That's my problem. If I light my neighbor's house on fire, well there are other laws in place that cover that sort of stupidity, aren't there?
Let me have some damn fireworks. I'll take responsibility for whatever carnage I unleash if I get careless with them. |
1. When someone sets something of fire due to carelessness, the fire department responds, at no direct cost to the person who set the fire. Likewise, fire department paramedics responding to fireworks related injuries incur a cost to the city or county not paid by the person carelessly setting off fireworks. These costs give the city and county a vested interest in reducing the number of fireworks related fires and injuries.
2. A home set on fire seldom affects just the person who was careless. Frequently there are others who live in that home. Fires can spread to dry grasses, other homes, and cause property damage and physical harm to others. Firefighters are often injured or even killed fighting structure fires.
3. Private ambulance companies have to have extra staff on duty during the days around the fourth of July because of people injuring themselves or others. These people are unable to spend the holiday with their loved ones.
4. ER's get crowded and often backed up, affecting everyone who needs emergent care, and requiring extra staffing.
When someone starts a fire or injures themselves and calls 911 due to misusing fireworks, they've affected other people, possibly a great many other people, both directly and indirectly.
Where I live fire department calls increased by a factor of 3 during the first few days of July, mostly as a result of misuse of fireworks. My wife's ambulance company had its calls doubled.