When midnight strikes the booms and blasts of fireworks roar. Fireworks are commonly used to celebrate the New Year as families across the country set them off. Many say that fireworks ward off evil for the year to come. Even though many people across the world use fireworks on New Years sometimes issues arise when the noise becomes too much.

During this past New Year I got together with some of my friends whom I’ve worked at Panera with. With a New Year on it’s way we thought it would be fun time to set of some fireworks in celebration. We decided it would be a good idea to set them of on an asphalt or concrete space to avoid fire hazards. With this in mind, we headed off to a small bridge with concrete flooring underneath. It was the perfect to set of a celebration of fireworks. The ground was solid, there were no houses around us, and my friend was certified firework handler. The conditions were nothing short of ideal.

We began to set of the fireworks one by one. As the pretty colors soared through the sky, we looked out in wonder of the pyrotechnics. The booming sound of each firework made us flinch every time. However, the crowd favorite of the fireworks had to be this sprinkler firework that came in a packaging that resembled a frog.

As we set off one of the last fireworks we saw a large car with a big light at the top of it it, approach the end of the wooded area. We soon realized that it was the cops about to put up a search light. As we saw the car we decided our only option was to run. As we ran through the woods we were surrounded by pricker bushes and logs that we needed to jump over. After what felt like 30 minutes of running we finally made it back to the house and plopped on the couch in relief.

While we understood that setting off fireworks could warrant a noise complaint is it really necessary to enforce a noise complaint where every house is making a similar amount of noise anyway? Fireworks have been a longstanding tradition on New Year’s Eve, what is the purpose of attempting to stop them when everyone is doing it?

It is currently illegal to own or operate a firework under the age of 18, but all of us were 19 or older. It’s illegal to use them after 1 am,  but we set them off at 9 pm. It’s illegal to set off fireworks within 150 feet of a building, we were in a park far from any houses or buildings.  So, what were we doing wrong?

I think that fireworks are over policed on days were fireworks are prominent. Fireworks bring joy and happiness to those who look upon them, why police it when everyone else is doing it. As long as the safety protocols are being followed I see no reason for cops to intervene.