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City fire marshal warns July 4 simultaneous fireworks would stretch enforcement; council declines second July 4 show
Summary
City staff and the fire marshal told council that allowing a second fireworks show on July 4 would leave the city short of enforcement capacity; council members indicated they would not permit the Flying Boxcars’ fireworks on July 4 while other dates were acceptable.
City staff briefed the mayor and council on a request from the Flying Boxcars baseball organization for multiple fireworks nights at Meredith Park and highlighted a scheduling conflict with the city's annual July 4 fireworks at Fairgrounds Park.
Jim Bender explained that the Flying Boxcars submitted 11 proposed dates for fireworks but that state and local rules require a fire marshal to be on site for any display. Dale Buschack, Hagerstown Fire Marshal, told the council the real complication is enforcement coverage: "The real complication is on the side of enforcement, and we will not have any depth on the bench to do enforcement while we're on the site for the shoot," he said, explaining that staffing both the city show and a second, game‑dependent show would split fire‑marshal resources and reduce the city’s ability to respond to illegal fireworks elsewhere.
Council reaction: several council members said they preferred to keep the city's annual July 4 display at the Fairgrounds and not add a second fireworks show the same night. One council member said, “for me, with the requested dates, it's a no for July 4 for the boxcars. I prefer to have enforcement and our city event… that’s for me.” Staff and the fire marshal suggested alternatives: ask the Flying Boxcars to schedule a different date (the team plays multiple days that weekend), move the city show to July 5 (which would require coordination with the contracted vendor), or accept both shows on July 4 while acknowledging reduced enforcement elsewhere.
Outcome: council members indicated they would not approve the Flying Boxcars’ request for fireworks on July 4; staff said other proposed dates from the vendor were acceptable and asked the group to notify residents of event dates so pet owners and neighborhoods can prepare. No formal ordinance or vote was recorded at the work session; staff requested direction and will follow up with the Flying Boxcars and the city's vendor to finalize dates and permits.
Practical note: the fire marshal emphasized that fireworks timing for a baseball game is variable (dependent on game length) and therefore harder to schedule and coordinate than a city display with a fixed start time. If the council allows a second show on July 4, staff said they would not have available fire‑marshal enforcement capacity for other parts of the city during the shoot.
