BIDDEFORD — City council gave initial approval for a total ban on the sale and use of consumer fireworks within city boundaries. Only Councilors Michael Swanton and David Bourque voted against the prohibition. If final approval is granted when the council meets next in April, Biddeford will join the ranks of more than two dozen communities in Maine that have issued a partial or total ban on the explosives.

In January, a new state statute took effect allowing the sale and use of consumer fireworks in Maine. Communities that do not want to allow consumer fireworks must past a local ordinance.

Prior to the ban, the council passed a 120-day moratorium on Nov. 15, which ended last week, prohibiting the law from taking effect while the council worked on an ordinance.

Both Police Chief Roger Beaupre and Fire Chief Joe Warren have taken a stand in favor of the total ban citing concerns for public safety.

Initially, he tried to take a “middle-of-the-road” stance, said Warren, such as allowing the use of consumer fireworks only on certain days and/or in certain areas.

However, he said, there’s a reason major cities in Maine and New Hampshire ban the explosives.

Many parts of Biddeford are congested, he said, and that would make igniting fireworks dangerous in terms of individual safety and as a cause of fires.

There are even dangers at the beach, said Warren, where many people already illegally set off fireworks, especially during the summer.

Several years ago, he said college students who were setting off fireworks accidentally set fire to dune grass and almost caused the loss of two nearby homes.

Conservationists have also come out in favor of the ban, such as Ward Feurt, refuge manager of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge’s holdings include land along Biddeford’s coast.

Fireworks endanger coastal wildlife, said Feurt. Last year, he said, fireworks caused the death of several young piping plovers, a type of shorebird, which is on the state’s endangered species list. According to Feurt the explosion of fireworks scared the adult plovers from their nest, causing them to abandon their two chicks and an egg. All the young died the next day, he said.

Another reason to prohibit fireworks raised by some coastal residents is that they disturb their quality of life.

Not all in Biddeford favor the ban.

Chris Stone, who lives at Hills Beach, said she favored limited use of fireworks, such as on certain days and in specific areas.

Councilor David Bourque, who said he enjoys setting off fireworks with his family, said parents should be more responsible for the safety of their children. Government regulation in the form of a ban should not hinder his enjoyment of fireworks, he said.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.