Jun. 30—Troy Grossnickle, battalion chief at the Frederick County's Office of the Fire Marshal, is not taking any time off for the Fourth of July.

Instead, he and his coworkers are working through July 4, attending and inspecting professional fireworks shows and handling complaints about firework use in the county, among other things, Grossnickle said in a phone interview Friday.

"We're just hoping that people remain safe and attend professional firework shows, if possible," Grossnickle said.

Grossnickle advised not re-lighting fireworks that did not go off, using approved devices, keeping pets indoors, remembering that sparklers can burn at about 1,500 degrees fahrenheit — and only lighting one sparkler at a time

There were 11 reported deaths related to fireworks in 2022, as well as an estimated 10,200 injuries connected to fireworks, according to data from The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The only fireworks that are legal for consumers to use are sparklers and ground-based sparkling devices, per Maryland state law.

The fine for illegal fireworks is $250 for possession with intent to use and $250 for discharge, per firework, Oliver Alkire, Master Deputy State Fire Marshal and Public Information Officer, said in a phone interview.

Intent to use could look like the unused fireworks being outside, or near fireworks that are being discharged, Alkire said.

So, five, discharged so-called roman candles, for example could result in a $2,500 fine, Alkire said.

Sparklers and sparkling devices approved for use in Frederick County will have a warning on them that the firework "emits showers of sparks," according to a joint release from Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services and others on Wednesday

Frederick County's Division of Fire and Rescue Services, the Frederick Police Department, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, and Emergency Communications also joined the release.

It's common, however, for people to drive to Pennsylvania, for example, to obtain fireworks that are not legal in the state, Grossnickle said.

In Pennsylvania, the use of aerial fireworks such as roman candles with up to 50 milligrams of explosive material are permitted, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

It's also become more frequent for people to gather in smaller groups since the pandemic, and sometimes shoot their own fireworks, Grossnickle said.

On and around July 4, there are an average of 200 complaints about firework usage, Grossnickle said, up from about half that number pre-pandemic.