Both Mayor Kim Ecklund and Councilman Jeff Russell are right with suggestions last week to cut down on the number of illegal fireworks going off during Independence Day celebrations in Jamestown.

Russell said he heard from police officers that they suspect some temporary fireworks sellers that popped up in the city limits sold fireworks that are illegal to have in New York. He suggested spot checks of these sellers in future years to make sure they aren’t violating the permits they received to sell fireworks. It’s a good suggestion that, frankly, should extend throughout the county, in our opinion. Those who sell illegal fireworks in New York state shouldn’t be allowed to get another permit from Jamestown or neighboring municipalities.

Ecklund, meanwhile, suggested the council ask further questions of those applying for special event applications to host block parties during the Fourth of July that, she said, often feature fireworks. We can’t disagree with the mayor’s suggestion. Public Safety Committee members should make the city’s laws on the matter crystal clear to those who ask the city’s approval for block parties and then make sure the city’s nuisance officer is available to make sure organizers comply. Those who don’t shouldn’t receive a special use permit in the future.

Neighborhood fireworks that progress past sparklers and ground-based, non-noise making fireworks are a nuisance. Lighting fireworks in busy roads is dangerous – and the tell-tale scorch marks on city roads on July 5 say that is a popular practice in Jamestown. Fireworks lit in the road on the south side of the city late in the evening July 4 made it difficult for drivers to see people kneeling in the road trying to light more fireworks on the road. Given the way many homes in Jamestown have been subdivided over the years it wouldn’t take much to light a house on fire with fireworks that get out of someone’s control. Ask a city firefighter how quickly fire spreads in a home with balloon construction. Fireworks are a problem for some with autistic children or PTSD, particularly amongst veterans who served.

One person’s fun is another person’s frustration. And while the city needs to do what it can to make it as difficult as possible to set off fireworks in city neighborhoods, until city residents begin caring about how their actions affect others, nuisance fireworks will continue to be a headache for many city residents.