Contact: Colleen Roche or Dwight Williams (212) 788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today warned New Yorkers of the inherent dangers of illegal fireworks and underscored the coordinated City, state and federal effort to rid the streets of the dangerous, and sometimes deadly, contraband. The efforts of the joint New York City Police Department and Fire Department anti-fireworks campaign resulted in a 32 percent reduction in fireworks related injuries during last year's Fourth of July holiday.
Joining the Mayor at today's event held at Bellevue Hospital's Emergency Room were Dr. Armen Kasabian, Chief of Microsurgery at Bellevue Hospital, Police Commissioner Howard Safir, Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen and other members of the law enforcement and medical communities.
"Illegal fireworks continue to be a public safety and medical menace in our City," Mayor Giuliani said. "Every year, the use of illegal fireworks results in 12,000 emergency room visits nationwide and despite the valiant efforts of microsurgeons, thousands of men, women and children sustain permanent hand and face injuries. Last year, I asked the Police and Fire Departments to coordinate a multi-agency effort to attack the problem of illegal fireworks. Their efforts, which included enforcement and an aggressive public education campaign, resulted in a significant reduction of fireworks related injuries, not only here at Bellevue but throughout the entire City. The Fire Department's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services responded to a third fewer fireworks related calls last Fourth of July, than in 1995."
The Mayor continued, "The crackdown on illegal fireworks continues. Since its creation, the Fireworks Interdiction Team has seized over 20,000 cases of fireworks with an approximate street value of $43 million. Every case confiscated reduces the chances that an illegal firecracker will end up in the hands of a child.
"I urge all New Yorkers, especially our children, not to use illegal fireworks. Instead, please attend the many legal fireworks displays that are held at various locations throughout the City. And if you have information about the sale or use of illegal fireworks please call the Fire Department's 1-800-FIRETIP hotline. All calls to this hotline are confidential," the Mayor concluded.
Dr. Armen Kasabian said, "I dread the July 4th holiday because of the potential for fireworks related injuries. There is so much destruction of tissue that we can't reattach fingers, we can only reconstruct to preserve function. The worst Fourth of July I have seen was in 1994, when there were 18 injuries in three days. In 1995, we saw 11 injuries. Thanks to Mayor Giuliani's crackdown on illegal fireworks last year, we saw an 80% reduction in the number of serious injuries at Bellevue."
"Both the Police Department and the Fire Department want the summer of 1997, to be New York City's safest summer ever," Police Commissioner Safir said. "We know just how dangerous fireworks are and how many adults and children are seriously injured every year. That's why, along with five other agencies, we are putting a great deal of effort into the Fireworks Interdiction Team. We've worked together on training and enforcement initiatives that have resulted in the largest amount of fireworks seized in eight years. We're putting the criminals on notice that we're going to do the kind of relentless investigative follow-up that will ensure that criminals will be apprehended, and citizens will be safe."
Fire Commissioner Von Essen said, "We have with us today medical experts who have first hand knowledge of how effective the Mayor's initiative has been. At the Fire Department, our Bureau of Emergency Medical Services has witnessed fewer injuries to citizens, our suppression units have seen a decrease in fires and our fire marshals in the Bureau of Fire Investigation who are one of the partners in the Mayor's task force have confiscated a greater number of fireworks."
The Fire Department's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services reported a 32 percent decline in illegal fireworks related injuries from 1995 to 1996, during the July 4th holiday. In 1995, there were 56 injuries, compared to 38 in 1996. At Bellevue Hospital, Dr. Kasabian reported an 80 percent reduction in the number of serious July 4th fireworks injuries seen in 1996 compared to 1995. The Fire Department also responded to 345 fire calls last year as opposed to 707 in 1995.
As part of the Police and Fire Department's efforts to reduce the danger posed by illegal fireworks, the New York City Fireworks Interdiction Team was created. The Police and Fire Department, joined by the United States Customs Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, the Port Authority Police, New York State Police and New Jersey State Police, has seized 21,632 cases of illegal fireworks from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Long Island and New York City. The estimated street value of the confiscated fireworks is $43.8 million.