Lansford Borough Council will be taking a look at its fireworks ordinance ahead of this year’s Fourth of July celebrations.

Councilwoman Jennifer Staines suggested a review and update of the ordinance to ensure it’s in line with the state’s provision during a committee meeting last week.

Councilman Jack Soberick, who chairs the zoning and ordinance committee, said he believes the fireworks ordinance already mirrors the state law.

Staines said they have to focus on setting them off within 150 feet of an occupied structure, because she’s had them bounce off her roof and car, etc.

“There’s really no place in town that you’re 150 feet away from anything,” she said.

Soberick said the big issue police have is enforcing the ordinance, because they literally have to see the person setting off the explosive or lighting the fuse.

He suggested maybe two years ago that the borough require people to get a permit to set off fireworks, because there is really nowhere in town that people could legally set them off.

Then, if someone is setting off fireworks in town, you cite them for not having a permit when there is an issue with someone setting them off in town, Soberick said.

“I don’t know what else to do,” he said, because it’s impossible for police to catch them in the act of setting them off.

Resident Tom Vadyak questioned how police can catch someone if they’re on the opposite side of town when a complaint comes in that someone is setting fireworks off.

Soberick said that’s why he suggested the idea of a permit, because at least then a person can call in the complaint and say which house or yard it’s coming from, and police could see there is a party or people outside, or other evidence, and ask for the permit.

“Do you have a permit? No. Here’s your citation for no permit,” he said. “You enforce that he doesn’t have permit, not that you’re putting off fireworks. I don’t know any other way around it, because they’re allowed.”

Staines asked if they were able to limit fireworks being set off only on the Fourth of July. Soberick said they could look at that, too.

The genie is out of the bottle with fireworks being legal in the state, Soberick said, and it’s frustrating for towns to enforce the rules the way the state law is written.

“I’m frustrated because there’s no way to stop it,” he said. “You have four guys on duty, or two guys, or one guy, and you have 800 people putting off fireworks.”