Alcoa, Maryville see subdued fireworks use after 2023

While fireworks claimed the life of one man in Greenback Thursday evening, July 4, the atmosphere elsewhere in Blount County was more subdued this Independence Day. Local law enforcement said misuse and damage, which contributed to dozens of complaints last year, was significantly lower than anticipated.

Alcoa Police Chief David Carswell said his officers were braced after last year’s festivities got out of hand, but the celebration was pleasantly underwhelming.

“It was one of those situations where you prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he said in a phone interview Friday morning, adding later, “I don’t think we could have asked for a better outcome.”

One of the biggest calls of the holiday evening, he said, was a dumpster fire likely caused by improperly-disposed fireworks.

One person went to the hospital for health issues unrelated to fireworks after officers were called to settle a disturbance between teens.

Legislation

Widespread misuse of fireworks last year led Carswell to call all hands on deck for this year’s festivities. July of 2023, he told commissioners during work sessions last fall, saw teens throwing fireworks at police cruisers and groups of officers, even burning one officer’s uniform. Fireworks damaged at least one home, and firefighters responding to the scene also found themselves the target of thrown pyrotechnics.

The Alcoa Board of Commissioners responded by passing an ordinance restricting local regulations after months of debate over just how much the fireworks needed to be cut back. After initial plans to ban reloadable mortars, which contribute heavily to noise during the holiday, commissioners eventually decided to raise the purchase age and cut down on sales dates, adding penalties for parents of minors found misusing the explosives.

The rule changes, combined with an education initiative, may have paid off.

“It was nothing like last year,” said Carswell. “We did a lot of driving around reminding people of the new ordinance, especially when it came to minors not supervised by an adult.”

Officers sometimes gave out warnings, he said, but for the most part, they found the public respectful and compliant. The added visibility from extra units most likely helped, as officers patrolling the area reminded citizens not to shoot fireworks on the streets or sidewalks.

Neighbors

The number of fireworks-related calls to the Blount County 911 Center was not readily available Friday, but Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp said the initial count in his jurisdiction for July 3-4 was about 25 calls.

Maryville changed its fireworks regulations alongside neighboring Alcoa this spring in the interest of keeping local rules consistent. City officials raised the minimum age to purchase fireworks from 16 to 18, mirroring Alcoa, and also cut back the dates for sale.

Crisp said he hasn’t had the time to do a deep dive into the nature of the incidents reported this year, but said he doesn’t know of any citations or arrests made.

“In terms of what we’ve had in the past, it wasn’t an abundance of calls,” he told The Daily Times Friday afternoon.

A sparkler appeared to have damaged one home in the days leading up to the holiday, he said. Another call that initially appeared to be about fireworks turned out to be unrelated.