LEWISTON — A bill that would allow hundreds of currently illegal fireworks to be sold in Maine could face restrictions within city limits, the police chief said Thursday.

Chief Michael Bussiere of the Lewiston Police Department said it was too early to determine how difficult enforcement could be, but he indicated that the city may consider crafting an ordinance to deal with fireworks.

“We’ll make a decision about proposing something to the City Council to decide what, if any, restrictions they want to put on this activity,” he said.

While regulations for storage and sale of the explosives will likely come from the state, Bussiere had some concerns about fireworks in an urban setting like Lewiston.

“Do we want to be a city that allows for the use of fireworks in town?” he said. “People might have concerns about allowing fireworks in compact areas or just in areas where it can be offensive to others.”

He added, “Some people might enjoy the display of fireworks and setting them off. But you always have another side to the story where people don’t want to hear that.”

It will be up to local fire and law enforcement agencies to enforce fireworks usage, an issue that worried lawmakers who opposed the legislation. The bill includes implementation funding for the Fire Marshal, but not for local agencies charged with policing the use of the pyrotechnics.

The bill allows municipalities to craft ordinances that prohibit or restrict the sale or use — but not possession — of consumer fireworks.

The bill was approved 20-12 by the Maine Senate on Wednesday.

Gov. Paul LePage is expected to sign the legislation Friday at ceremony in Bangor. However, the law won’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2012. 

According to some officials charged with implementing and enforcing the new regulations, the six-month delay is a good thing. The original bill called for emergency enactment so fireworks could be used during the Fourth of July holiday, but it was amended following concerns that the state and enforcement agencies weren’t prepared.

Richard Taylor, a planner at the State Fire Marshal’s Office, said several issues in the legislation must be addressed before it can be properly implemented.

Among them is identifying exactly which pyrotechnics will be sold here.

The bill is closely modeled after New Hampshire’s fireworks law, but some items, including some high-flight bottle rockets that are sold there won’t be allowed to be purchased in Maine.

Taylor said it was too soon to identify all the pyrotechnics that will be available in Maine, but it will include many so-called Class C consumer fireworks outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations. The class includes certain firecrackers, morning glories and flaming fountains.

He said the Fire Marshal’s Office is developing a reference list that it will publish on the department’s website.

If the list looks anything like New Hampshire’s, it will be quite lengthy. More than 2,550 fireworks can be sold in the Granite State.

The bill imposes a $5,000 licensing fee that can be renewed each year for $1,000. The Fire Marshal’s Office will be charged with permitting fireworks dealers.

The bill requires both sellers and buyers of fireworks to be at least 21 years old.

smistler@sunjournal.com

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