what are the rules for setting off fireworks?

Like every end of the year, the celebrations of December 31 are placed under surveillance. What can you do to celebrate the New Year?

For New Year’s Eve, 90,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed in France. Friday December 29, the Minister of the Interior welcomed the absence of major incidents during the end-of-year holidays, “despite an extremely strong terrorist threat.” From where “great presence and great firmness” promised by Gérald Darmanin on the evening of New Year’s Eve on December 31. There will be nearly 6,000 law enforcement officers in Paris, where more 1.5 million people are expected on the Champs-Elysées to admire the fireworks in the capital. Exactly, in terms of pyrotechnics, what is possible to do? Franceinfo takes stock.

You can set off fireworks, but not just any fireworks and not just anywhere

There are several types and different categories of fireworks: entertainment fireworks (category F1, F2, F3 and F4) and pyrotechnic articles intended for theater professionals (category T1 and T2). Entertainment fireworks used for festivities, such as New Year or July 14, are classified into four categories according to their dangerousness and the noise they make when exploding, recalls the government.

The F1 category brings together the least dangerous: finger snappers, sparklers, cake fountains or sparklers, for example. They cannot be sold to children under 12 years old and a safety distance of at least one meter must be respected when pulling them.

Products classified in categories F2 and F3 are more dangerous and are reserved for adults. These include wick firecrackers, Roman candles and even Bengal lights. The safety distance is 8 meters for F2s and 25 meters for F3s.

Finally, category F4 is reserved for pyrotechnics professionals. It is in this category that we find fireworks bombs launched by mortars. All firecrackers must bear the CE marking (European conformity).

Fireworks mortars are more closely monitored

The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin asked, on December 21, the prefects to fight against “traffic” of the “fireworks mortars” and the “proliferation” pyrotechnic items for the end-of-year celebrations, particularly using drones. The minister thus wishes to avoid the use of fireworks against the police. He therefore asked for increased controls on shopping sites and networks.

This New Year 2024 is also taking place under a Vigiprate plan at the attack emergency level in force throughout the country since October 13. “The inappropriate use of fireworks and pyrotechnic articles on public roads is likely to create disorder and panic, and is likely to distract law enforcement from their security missions., notes for example the Ain prefecture. Last July 14, in the wake of the riots following the death of young Nahel, the authorities banned the sale of all pyrotechnic items in France, including fireworks “mortars”.

Check local restrictions

Several prefects have issued orders to prohibit the purchase and use of fireworks around December 31. This is the case in the Paris metropolitan area where the sale, carrying and transport of fireworks and fuels are prohibited. In several other departments, such as Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Hérault, Haute-Garonne and even Loire, prefectural decrees have been taken to prevent the sale of fireworks for New Year’s Eve.

Before purchasing fireworks, contact your town hall or prefecture to check that a decree is not in force. If you don’t have a permit, you risk a fine of 1,500 euros and if you cause a fire or injure someone, you risk a fine of up to 150,000 euros and ten years in prison.

Do not buy fireworks abroad

Gérald Darmanin also asked the prefects to put in place “border controls”. In certain departments of eastern France, the traditional use of firecrackers and fireworks for New Year festivities is common, like in Germany. Like every year, some revelers will try to circumvent the ban to get supplies from our German or Spanish neighbors.

However, it is prohibited to buy fireworks or firecrackers abroad and bring them back to France without first obtaining authorization from the General Directorate of Customs. In recent days, there have already been seizures of fireworks mortars, especially on the eastern borders, particularly in Strasbourg.