Germany’s GDP police union and the German Medical Association were among those calling for a nationwide ban on private fireworks ahead of New Year’s celebrations on Tuesday.
News Although fireworks are only allowed for a limited number of hours from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day, several cases of their careless use have already been reported.
In recent years, the celebrations have been repeatedly overshadowed by riots and strikes, with thousands of police officers and paramedics deployed across the country.
What are the emergency services saying?
While GDP chairman Jochen Kopelke said he was in favor of a ban, he also acknowledged that politicians would not be present there yet.
“We need more injured people,” Kopelke told German broadcaster ARD on Tuesday. “We need more emergency rooms that say: ‘We’re overworked.’
“Every year the GDP calls for a ban on fireworks. Every year the Federal Interior Ministry rejects changes to the explosives law and puts the responsibility on the states, the interior ministers who have responded partially and in some areas “Restriction zones have been established.”
The president of the police union said he believed such restriction zones were not very effective, adding there was confusion about how the rules would be enforced.
Call for change towards organized demonstrations
Berlin police union spokesman Benjamin Gendro said centrally organized fireworks could provide a safe alternative to private demonstrations.
“Fireworks belong in the hands of people who know what they’re doing, i.e. firefighters and certified people. If people don’t want to do without fireworks, we should offer them more organized events.”
Klaus Reinhardt, president of the German Medical Association, said incorrect, careless and alcohol-influenced use of fireworks could lead to serious injuries, putting pressure on already busy emergency rooms.
Before the New Year, he agreed that organized demonstrations would be better.
“No one wants to deprive people of the opportunity to have a great New Year’s Eve,” Reinhardt said. “You don’t need gunpowder to have a good New Year. It’s time to establish New Year’s Eve traditions to start the New Year peacefully and safely.”
Karl-Heinz Banse, chairman of the German Fire Brigades Association, rejected calls for a nationwide ban, but told the dpa news agency that stricter rules could be imposed.
“I side with those who say that fireworks should only be used where it is not dangerous,” he said, adding that a ban near wood-framed houses or thatched buildings might be desirable.
RC/WD(DPA,EPD,KNA)