Mount Vernon offers fireworks training for public
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FIREWORKS TRAINING — The Mount Vernon Fire Department is once again offering consumer fireworks training for anyone seeking to obtain their Consumer Fireworks Training Certification Card.
MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon Fire Department is once again offering consumer fireworks training for anyone seeking to obtain their Consumer Fireworks Training Certification Card.
Any person must be in possession of such a card to legally possess or discharge consumer fireworks in Illinois. The fire department primarily offers the training online, since the tests are graded electronically. However, arrangements can be made for people to get in-person training if they do not have a valid email address, said MVFD interim Fire Chief Chris Yenne.
“We’re a public safety agency, so our job is public safety, so we want to stress using common sense and good discretion when discharging fireworks,” Yenne said. “Don’t be inebriated, don’t let small children be around them. … The unregulated stuff, like sparklers, burn at about 2,000 degrees so you will get a third-degree burn immediately.”
According to a City of Mount Vernon news release, fireworks are a traditional part of America’s Fourth of July celebration, but every year people take needless risks when they celebrate. Even sparklers and firecrackers can be harmful and can result in serious burns, hearing loss and other injuries.
“We do see firework-related injuries every year, everything from something went off next to someone’s ear and (they experience) tinnitus or an ear drum rupture, or the other extreme — appendages getting torn or missing or burns,” Yenne said.
Yenne said that every municipality deals with people illegally using fireworks around the Fourth of July holiday. People can drive to a neighboring state to purchase illegal fireworks and police receive too many calls to be able to stop everyone from using them, Yenne said.
Many fireworks are prohibited in the state and city, including any hand-held explosive fireworks, bottle rockets, firecrackers, skyrockets, chasers, roman candles or any lanterns that use open flame for propulsion, the release states.
A Consumer Fireworks Training Certification Card is required by law to purchase, possess and/or display 1.4G consumer fireworks in Illinois, and Mount Vernon.
Anyone interested in completing the no-cost certification training should complete the following:
- Register with the administration office by calling (618) 242-6880, option 2, or by email at sara.hayes@mtvernon.com, aaron.shook@mtvernon.com or chris.yenne@mtvernon.com. A valid driver’s license or state photo ID is required for sign-up and can be accomplished by emailing or texting a photo of your state-issued ID or driver’s license to them. You must be at least 18 years of age.
- Once you are registered, you will be emailed a link for the training video to watch. This should last approximately an hour.
- After you have completed the video, you will receive an online link and password to take two tests online. One test will be a consumer grade fireworks safety test. You must complete that with a score of 100%. The second test will be a consumer grade product knowledge test and you must complete that with a score of 80%. These tests will be graded immediately, and if you are unable to complete the test with the required score you will be able to retake the exam after a short review.
- When the exams are successfully completed, you will be issued a Consumer Grade Fireworks Safety Training Card, which will allow you to purchase and possess legal fireworks within the state of Illinois. Your card will be valid until April 30, 2025. It can be mailed to you, or you can pick it up at the Administration Office at the fire station on 42nd Street.
“This (card) allows you to purchase 1.4G consumer fireworks,” the news release states. “If you are planning to conduct a fireworks display in the City of Mount Vernon, you must contact the fire department administration … and go through the proper procedures to do so as established by the Code of Ordinances for the City of Mount Vernon Article 9 Sec. 9.8 Subsection 12: Display of Fireworks, which can be viewed online at www.mtvernon.com/city-ordinances.”
No consumer displays of fireworks should be discharged from federal, state or municipal property, including roadways, alleyways, parking lots, sidewalks or any public way.
The public is also reminded that a professional fireworks display will occur during the annual Salute to Freedom celebration from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, at Mount Vernon Outland Airport. The event also includes Market Days vendors, music, food vendors and more.
“As always, the City of Mount Vernon Fire Department encourages you to use caution and discretion when discharging fireworks to have a safe and happy Fourth of July,” the news release states.
