Minor Injuries, No Arrests Reported During July 4 Festivities

Although Dormont's police and fire departments received no calls about problems with the annual Fourth of July fireworks display, some spectators said they thought the display was dangerous.

A day after the display, a woman who attended the display posted about fireworks problems in the Speak Out section on Dormont-Brookline Patch, stating that spectators were hit with pieces of fireworks and that embers were falling near the crowd.

Another spectator left the following comment on the post:

“…Once we got to the top of the hill and we noticed the huge embers coming down you could not even enjoy the fireworks, because they were falling while they were still on fire. Then a little girl ran behind me crying because she was burned by the embers. My hair was full of black parts. My blanket was full of them, and was ultimately ruined.”

But neither the Dormont police or Dormont Volunteer Fire Department were called to respond to any incidents on the Fourth of July.

Dormont VFD Chief Jeff Arnold said the fire department did not receive any calls that night, except to assist Mt. Lebanon Fire Department with a report of smoke coming from the roof of the Mt. Lebanon post office. The departments determined there was no fire, and the smoke was coming from fireworks in the area.

Arnold said Dormont VFD did not receive any calls about injuries, fireworks falling into yards, or damage caused by the borough’s fireworks display.

Police Chief Michael Bisignani said only two injuries were reported to authorities, and that for the first time in several years, the police made no arrests during Fourth of July festivities in the borough.

“The paramedics that were on scene informed me that two people came to them with very minor injuries, small burns on their arms that they said were from firework debris,” Bisignani said. “They were treated on scene. No one had to go to the hospital.”

Bisignani said there was a “safety” zone set up by the firework technicians. No one was allowed above Memorial Drive and people were not allowed to watch the fireworks from the playground area this year, he said.