Halloween
Remember please at this time, that it is illegal to possess fireworks of any description, here in the Republic of Ireland, even if they have been legally purchased outside of our jurisdiction.
It happens every year around this time, that young people end up in hospital or in the doctors surgery, suffering varying injuries from fireworks. These injuries most often include burns; the loss of fingers and/or in many cases facial injuries; especially injuries to the eyes.
Fireworks also cause a great deal of annoyance and distress to elderly residents living in close proximity. This annoyance most often will involve unnecessary demands on community services; (e.g. Gardaí and Fire Officers), latter services obliged to answer unnecessary burglar alarm calls or fire outbreaks at properties, where fire crackers and bangers are posted through letter boxes, often when residents have retired to bed.
The noise from fireworks also is often the cause of unnecessary distress to small family pets and indeed much larger animals. Professional type firework displays, held under permit for a short time in the past, were popular at weddings and party events during the Summertime. This practise very soon became banned by hotels and party venues around the country, following expensive, justifiable legal action taken by farmers and stud farms. Frightened cattle and horses were loosing their unborn, in an attempt to escape from exploding fireworks in the vicinity.
In particular, this year Gardaí will confiscate any fireworks which are located and those found in possession could end up in court to be prosecuted. Gardaí already have warned that the only exception to this rule is where a professional type fireworks display taking place, is fully authorised.
Parents here, also, have a responsibility to ensure that their children do not cause injury either to themselves or to others, and if fireworks or bangers are discovered to be in the possession of children, then in the interest of health and safety, they should be confiscated.
Shop owners are also being urged at this time to report youths found purchasing large quantities of eggs and to retain and mark their CCTV, in an effort to stop the irresponsible and potentially dangerous act of pelting eggs at motor vehicles. Indeed, in Limerick in recent days a driver lost control of their car and crashed, following such irresponsible behaviour.
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