With local townships putting on fireworks displays this weekend and the ability for citizens to buy fireworks at most retail stores, safety is on many officials/ minds.

“Safety is absolutely vital,” said William Weimer, vice president and general counsel of B.J. Alan Company, which distributes Phantom and Wolf Pack brand fireworks.

According to Weimer, all fireworks sold go through extensive testing in both China, where they are manufactured, and the United States when they arrive for distribution.

Phantom Fireworks is part of the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory, which is a non-profit corporation that is designed to ensure the safety of consumer fireworks.

“We want people to enjoy our product and come back for more,” Weimer said. “If someone buys our product and gets hurt, then we begin to have problems.”

Even though sales of fireworks have increased during the past 10 years, injuries have decreased more than 25 percent.

While Illinois allows only certain types of fireworks – including sparklers, smoke devices and trick noisemakers – Wisconsin and Indiana are more lenient toward firework laws.

This leads to many Illinois residents crossing state lines to purchase fireworks that are illegal in Illinois.

“Our main concern for this weekend is the use of fireworks, period,” said John Fennell, general council for the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s office. “People using illegal fireworks pose a danger to themselves and those watching them.”

The legal age to purchase fireworks in Illinois is 18 years old.

In DeKalb County, no fireworks, including sparklers, can be sold to citizens.

“If you can light it, you can’t sell it,” said Ruben Nelson, assistant fire chief of the DeKalb Fire Department.

Nelson also said the current drought heightens safety hazards.

“With all the dry grass and brush around, I wouldn’t recommend lighting anything,” Nelson said. “We’ve had to put out mulch fires because people leave restaurants and flick cigarettes into nearby plants.”

Retailers in the area are aware of the ban on fireworks.

“Every retail outlet in DeKalb receives a letter in May stating that they are not allowed to sell fireworks,” Nelson said. “No roadside vendors are allowed either.”

Those looking to take the chance and celebrate with their own fireworks should take local laws into consideration.

“If someone owns something that is not allowed in Illinois, it’s breaking the law,” Fennell said. “Plain and simple.”