After two years of a forced break due to corona, firecrackers and rockets for the New Year’s Eve fireworks can be sold again. The authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate are therefore calling on people to be careful and careful with fireworks. The sale of firecrackers and rockets starts this Thursday (December 29th) and ends on Saturday (December 31st), these may only be ignited on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. In some places there are also some restrictions, but no longer because of the corona pandemic.
The State Criminal Police Office of Rhineland-Palatinate warns against using fireworks that are not approved in Germany. This can be recognized by the CE mark or a registration number. However, it is better to keep your hands off home-made fireworks – on the one hand because it involves unpredictable risks, on the other hand because it is punishable by law. According to the LKA, people die every year in the production of illegal explosives. Keep your distance from unexploded fireworks. Re-ignition may result in serious injury.
When firing the legal rockets, it is important to keep a safe distance from other people, buildings, vehicles or obstacles. In addition, fireworks should only be fired from suitable ramps on level surfaces. Beverage crates are better suited for this than free-standing bottles, it said. Rockets and other fireworks should be ignited when sober if possible and not in the vicinity of hospitals or children’s and old people’s homes.
The Structure and Approval Directorate North (SGD Nord) recommends that parents ensure that children and young people under the age of 18 do not have access to fireworks. When burning, one should observe the respective instructions for use, it said.
In 2020 and 2021, there were also sales bans for New Year’s Eve fireworks and other restrictions in Rhineland-Palatinate due to the corona pandemic.
In some places there are still restrictions, but for different reasons: The city of Trier, for example, has imposed a general decree on fireworks in the area of the main market. The background is incidents from New Year’s Eve 2019/2020. At that time, fireworks were shot in all directions, several people were injured.
The Trier public order office feared that “a comparable situation” could arise this year that the ban was intended to avoid. The Trier Brothers Hospital expects 10 to 20 additional patients to come to the emergency room on New Year’s Eve during the night and on New Year’s Day. In the past few years, even before Corona, there had been no increased exposure to patients with firework injuries.
In Mainz, the burning of pyrotechnics in the immediate vicinity of churches, hospitals, children’s and old people’s homes as well as thatched and half-timbered houses is strictly prohibited. The city recommends avoiding firing rockets and firecrackers altogether. The city itself is not putting on any fireworks at the turn of the year either.
Notification LKA Notification SGD North
