Every Memorial Day and Fourth of July, the incessant boom of fireworks in neighborhoods are festive for some people but incredibly irritating to others. They also are dangerous, say two Summit Hill residents.

Regarding the violent blasts that have been occurring in past years in the hilltop community, Kevin Steber, Emergency Management coordinator, said, “Somebody’s going to get killed. Somebody’s house is going to get blown up.”That’s because some of the fireworks being shot off should have 210 feet or more clearance to the nearest structure.The topic of fireworks was brought before Summit Hill Borough Council on Monday by David Hiles, a resident who said some of the explosions are as intense as those viewed during professional displays.Hiles urged the police department to crack down on illegal fireworks this year.Hiles said he has videos taken last year on several blocks of aerial fireworks being shot off.“I need to know what you are going to do about this,” Hiles said.He said over the Fourth of July period, fireworks were set off for five straight days in the borough.Because many of these fireworks are illegal, he wondered if any arrests occurred last year.Chief of Police Joseph Fittos Jr. said he isn’t sure.Hiles said it would be easy to crack down on illegal pyrotechnics, saying, “You see the fireworks go off; go and arrest them.”He told the police chief, “If you aren’t doing anything about stopping the fireworks, that’s willful negligence.”He urged the council to draw up a plan to deal with fireworks, but Council President Michael Kokinda said, “I don’t think we need so much of a plan because they are illegal.”“This is a community problem,” Hiles said.Councilman Bill Chapman said, “We’ll look into it.”Hiles suggested extra police officers be used during Memorial Day and Fourth of July to help with the problem.Steber said he agrees with Hiles about the fireworks danger.Steber is licensed as a pyrotechnics professional and said clearance for fireworks shells is supposed to be 70 feet per inch of shell. This means a 3-inch shell should have a clearance of 210 feet.He said, “I 150 percent agree (with Hiles),” adding that he believes some fireworks detonated are 5- and 6-inch shells.Hiles also complained about four-wheel ATVs running unchecked through the borough and about two vehicles which have loud exhaust systems.Hiles told the council, “Something has to be done about the quads running around town.”He said that while plowing during the recent snowstorm, a quad driven by a youth about 12 or 13 years old came up behind him and nearly got hit.“There’s been a lot of issues with the quads,” Chapman said, adding it is tough for police to catch them.Hiles suggested police stake out areas where quads exit the borough for wooded areas. Fittos said there have been times he pursued quads but was unable to stop when they went into wooded areas.A suggestion by Hiles was that police obtain a quad and use it against the illegal operators.“I don’t think our insurance carrier would approve that,” Fittos said.Hiles said he felt it was willful negligence by not cracking down on the illegal ATVs.Hiles also gave two examples of vehicles being noisy despite complaints made to the police. Fittos agreed to look into the matter.