Alsace has restricted its legislation on firecrackers and fireworks to avoid further drama. In the four corners of France, cities are trying to anticipate the possible damage linked to the use of explosives.
The day after New Year’s Eve 2013, Alsace was in mourning. In question the firecrackers which had resulted in the death of a young person of 29 years. The year before, two young people had lost their lives in the same way. Every year, at the stroke of midnight, the whole region is set ablaze with a gigantic concert of firecrackers and other explosives, as the story goes.he local newspaper Latest News from Alsace. Most of the time, the tradition is good fun, but in recent years accidents have not been rare.
“I am doing whatever it takes to achieve a zero death toll this year, and I hope that we will achieve it,” insists the regional prefect, Stéphane Bouillon, in an interview with AFP. The legislation will therefore be restricted again: from November 1 to January 10, only small firecrackers in case 1 are authorized in Alsace. The importation of firecrackers as well as their sale is prohibited. The police also carry out numerous cross-border checks on vehicles to stop those who are going to obtain supplies in Germany where the sale is authorized.
Legislation by region
During exceptional periods, such as the New Year, the legislation differs according to the departments and prefectures. In Paris, all fireworks products are prohibited for sale and use during the end of the year celebrations.
On the other hand in the North, categories ranging from 2 to 4 are totally prohibited for sale but the less dangerous is authorized. This does not prevent the inhabitants from owning them since the border with Belgium is close, and there, they are authorized.
Recognize the right firecracker
Firecrackers must comply with the law. They must bear the CE mark, to comply with European standards. Second, the regulations distinguish 4 categories of fireworks, called “entertainment”. Category 1 firecrackers and fireworks are prohibited for children under 12 years old. Those in categories 2 and 3 are prohibited for children under 18. Those in category 4 are reserved for professionals. The classification is specified on the packaging.
Prefectural approval required to purchase or use a mortar
It is worth remembering that a decree of 2010 stipulates that “the acquisition, possession and use of fireworks and pyrotechnic articles intended for the theater” and to be launched by a mortar to the titular adults must do the subject to prefectural approval. In 2012, and regularly since, the French Society of Orthopedic Surgery (Sofcot) asked the public authorities to toughen the penalties to limit imports of non-compliant firecrackers which present real dangers to humans.
Burns, amputations of fingers..
In all, 8 people have lost their lives because of firecrackers in France since 2000. To these figures we must obviously add those of the very many injured. Every year in July and December, the hand surgery departments are overwhelmed. Burns, sometimes of the 3rd degree, and up to the amputation of several fingers or even of the hand, the doctors note every year the consequences of the bad handling of firecrackers and mortars.
Interviewed on January 1, 2013, Alain Sautet, professor of the orthopedic service at Saint-Antoine hospital in Paris, detailed in the columns of the Parisian the traumas that mortars can cause, which should not be confused with “the red firecrackers of low power with short wicks formerly used by children. “The mortars are” in the form of a ball whose diameter varies between 40 mm and 60 mm [qui] slip into a tube which must [lui-même] be planted in the ground and which then throws the device several meters high before exploding, ”explains this specialist. It often happens that “the device explodes in the hands of the user because he does not know how to handle it, causing multiple lesions: on the skin, nerves, arteries and bones. War-like injuries that require microsurgery for several hours. We repair but the victim sometimes remains with a major handicap, such as the loss of several fingers. “. Caution is therefore required.
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