Jun. 30—Area residents may be hampered in their efforts to buy fireworks by a sharp increase in prices tied to supply chain problems, and Decatur police say they'll be actively enforcing a ban on setting them off in city limits.

Justin Robinson has been working at Dean's Fireworks stands in Hartselle and Somerville for over 10 years and said he is skeptical about sales this year being as robust as last year or 2020.

"There are concerns, there are price increases. Not all across the board, but there are some significant price increases," Robinson said.

Dean's Fireworks' Hartselle stand opened Saturday and the Somerville stand opened Monday.

Robinson said because of supply chain delays, his company has had to increase the price of almost 30% of its fireworks. He said prices on other fireworks have not changed in several years, like Morning Glory sparklers that sell for $8.

Robinson said during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2020, he was able to make "record-breaking sales."

"You couldn't go do anything. All you could do was put a mask on and go to the store," Robinson said of the pandemic. "We got a lot of first-time buyers out of the pandemic. Then, we saw at the end of the pandemic a lot of those first-time buyers enjoyed it so much that they want to do it again."

Mark Carter, owner of Fireworks Outlet on U.S. 31 in Tanner, agreed that the pandemic caused many families to begin a tradition of shooting their own fireworks at home.

"People couldn't go to the professional shows, so they did it in their backyard," Carter said. "In 2020, they found out how much fun it is to have a family get-together and shoot fireworks together instead of going out to these crowded shows."

Carter was helping his employees unload two trucks full of fireworks this week. He said his business is open year-round and sales have been on par with previous years.

Carter said his inventory is slightly low right now.

"The supply chain is still slow," Carter said. "I'm almost at 85% full right now ... because you just can't get certain items like the bigger sparklers."

Carter said gas prices are also affecting the transportation cost of delivering fireworks.

"With the price of diesel at almost $5 a gallon, that affects every part of this industry," Carter said. "It affects the trucks hauling (fireworks) to the port in China, it affects container ships. When they get to the (United States) they get on a rail run by diesel and then they get on a truck which is also run by diesel."

Carter has had to increase the price of some of his bigger fireworks this year because of shipping costs.

Police officials say it is illegal to shoot fireworks within the city limits of Decatur, Hartselle and Athens, but Lt. Patrick Griffith said Hartselle police will not be actively patrolling neighborhoods for fireworks.

"Our responses to fireworks are complaint based," Griffith said. "I don't know a single officer that goes out here and absolutely just enforces the fireworks law on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, the neighbors complain because they don't like it and then we have to respond to the area."

Decatur Police Spokeswoman Irene Cardenas-Martinez said the department will have extra officers working on the Fourth to "patrol neighborhoods and respond to calls regarding fireworks."

"The safest way to enjoy fireworks is by attending a public display," Cardenas-Martinez said.

A Decatur ordinance outlaws sale, possession or use of fireworks in the city.

According to the ordinance, "fireworks shall be deemed to include any explosive composition ... or article prepared for the purpose of producing an audible effect by explosion, deflagration or detonation, and shall include blank cartridges, toy cannons, in which explosives are used, the type of balloons, firecrackers, sparklers, torpedoes, sky rockets, Roman candles, bombs or other fireworks of like construction ... ."

The ordinance does not prohibit small fireworks such as those used in cap guns.

— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.