N.C. fireworks crews don't need to prove qualifications

OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C.

A fireworks explosion Saturday that killed four people has exposed a lack of oversight for pyrotechnics crews.

Under state statutes, the site of a fireworks display must meet certain safety standards, enforced by local officials, but there is no requirement that the operators prove their qualifications to set off explosives, said Wayne Goodwin, North Carolina insurance commissioner and fire marshal.

"Not only was I shocked, but everyone inside and outside the department was shocked to find out there is no state law requiring any minimal training or licensing of operators," Goodwin said.

He said he is looking into remedying that gap.

The federal Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is responsible for regulation of explosives, but not fireworks operators. The ATF has ruled the explosion accidental. The state Department of Labor is investigating, and a report is expected in about four months.

Goodwin said he has asked his staff to study what training would be appropriate to qualify for certification or licensing. Ideally, the requirements should be uniform in every state, he said.

Terry Holland, 51, Charles Kirkland Jr., 49, and Melissa "Lisa" Simmons, 41, all of Goldsboro, and Mark Hill, 21, of Wayne County were killed after the explosion Saturday near the South Ferry Terminal in Ocracoke. Martez Holland, 27, of Goldsboro survived but suffered burns to his arms and face.

Reached Tuesday at the University of North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center, Martez Holland's girlfriend, Tasha Moore, said that he was in surgery.

"He really does not remember too much of what happened," she said.

Holland said in an interview with The Associated Press that he was in the back of the truck when it exploded, and that his co-workers were in the middle of the truck.

A doctor at the burn center told the AP that Holland is expected to recover but will need extensive therapy.

Julie L. Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, a fireworks industry trade association in Bethesda, Md., said fatalities at professional fireworks displays are rare.

There were about 14,000 shows nationwide on July Fourth, she said. Over the past 10 years, she estimated there have been about a dozen deaths.

"We have not had an incident of this magnitude," she said.

A fireworks operator was also killed on July Fourth in Pennsylvania, possibly because of a product failure, Heckman said.

Under industry safety rules, Heckman said, the crew in Ocracoke should not have all been inside the truck at one time. She said that photographs of the scene show that they were not unloading at the time of the explosion.

Fireworks are packed carefully and must pass a series of test procedures, she said, including friction sensitivity and drop tests. The fireworks should be the last thing put on and the first thing taken off. Cartons should be unloaded one by one and put in a designated process area.

For the 22-minute show planned in Ocracoke, Heckman said, there could have been 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of explosives in the truck.

Explosions could result, she said, if someone inside the truck opened cartons and moved something around, or inserted an electric ignition.

Melrose South Pyrotechnics of Catawba, S.C., is highly regarded, she said.

Heckman said American Pyrotechnics supports a nationwide certification standard for fireworks operators. Like North Carolina, Virginia does not require certification or licensing of operators, she said.

In the meantime, she said, the industry needs to reiterate the importance of the safety rules.

"We're just extremely shaken up by this loss of life," she said.

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com