As fireworks-related injuries and deaths continue to climb in the United States, consumer advocates and a local fire chief are unnerved by cuts to the federal watchdog agency that tracks data and enforces manufacturers’ compliance.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission urged the public to prioritize fireworks safety this 4th of July, noting sharp increases in fireworks-related injuries and deaths last year in a recent news release.
In 2024, there were 11 reported fireworks-related deaths, most involving misuse and device misfire/malfunctions. An estimated 14,700 people were injured by fireworks last year — a sharp increase of about 38% in deaths and about 52% in injuries respectively compared to 2023, the CPSC reported.
A copy of the agency’s annual fireworks report for 2024 was requested, but a press officer said no report would be released this year — only a public service announcement — even though the agency had been publishing annual fireworks reports for more than 20 years.
The press officer did not respond to inquiries on whether the lack of a report was a result of budget cuts to the agency and employee layoffs and whether they could negatively impact efforts by the agency’s Office and Compliance and Field Operations to test for noncompliant fireworks entering the country and being sold to consumers.
Local police and fire departments are discouraging residents from using fireworks this holiday weekend (FILE)
According to the commission’s 2023 fireworks report, its Office of Compliance and Field Operations works with other federal agencies to conduct surveillance on consumer fireworks and enforce the provisions of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, which requires precautionary labeling of hazardous substances to help consumers safely store and use the fireworks and respond to incidents.
About 18% of the fireworks products the office selected and tested in 2023 were found to contain noncompliant fireworks. The violations consisted of fuse violations, presence of prohibited chemicals, burnout or blowout, and pyrotechnic materials overload, the report stated.
The report stated that the commission would continue to assess the test results of the products collected and data regarding injuries and deaths in order to best prioritize the types of fireworks to be sampled and tested.
A ‘catastrophic reduction’
But, Courtney Griffin, director of Consumer Product Safety for the Consumer Federation of America, said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s Administration plans “a catastrophic reduction in consumer safety funding and staffing” in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s 2026 budget request, and staffing cuts have already occurred.
National consumer investigative reporter Caresse Jackman interviews Courtney Griffin, director of Consumer Product Safety for the Consumer Federation of America, in Washington, D.C., on May 13, 2025. Griffin is concerned about cuts to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (NICHOLAS RUBANDO / CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA)
Consumer Federation of America, an association of non-profit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance consumer interests through research, advocacy and education, previously raised an alarm over a leaked Administration document that exposed a plan to eliminate the CPSC and have the Department of Health and Human Services absorb it, despite planned cuts to that agency as well.
Griffin said the safety commission had 568 full-time employees last year, but recent reports indicate staffing has dropped to under 470. She was especially concerned with the effective elimination of the Office of Consumer Ombudsman, Office of Small Business Ombudsman and the Office of International Programs and Intergovernmental Affairs.
“The number one concern I have as it relates to their coordinated efforts with other agencies is their work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at ports of entry,” Griffin said.
She said about 4 million “de minimis” packages (valued at less than $800 each) enter the U.S. through those ports every day, including packages of fireworks consumers can order online.
About 97% of consumer-grade fireworks and 90% of display fireworks are imported from China, according to a May 2025 report on importgenius.com.
But, Griffin said, she believes CPSC has had less than 40 employees stretched across all ports of entry in the United States, although she said CPSC staff said that number seemed low.
“To me, that’s a very really egregious fact, and it puts Americans at risk,” Griffin said.
A proactive approach
Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said the CPSC not only provides fire, injury and death data associated with fireworks, it also has provided that data for other causes such as space heaters that can be used for proactive prevention.
Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney recounts the 50-year history of the fire department's Emergency Medical Service during National EMS Week at Fire Headquarters on May 20, 2025. Delaney is concerned about cuts to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which tracks injuries and deaths related to fireworks and other products. (CITIZENS' VOICE FILE)
“Do you want to be proactive or reactive? Preventing fires and burns and soft tissue injuries has always been my goal. One of the problems we have in the industry is how do you track fires and injuries from fireworks. I think it would be regrettable if we’re going to lose one of the only groups that did a good job tracking these injuries,” Delaney said.
“(The CSPC) compiles and analyzes statistics and trend data. Up until last year, you could go on a website and read the reports. What do you compare them to moving forward?” Delaney said.
He noted that shooting off consumer grade fireworks in Wilkes-Barre is illegal because of proximity of structures and recalled a fire last year caused by fireworks that destroyed a city sports complex and put his firefighters at risk.
“Fireworks are dangerous, especially when shot into the air, especially when shot in a densely populated area and especially when it’s hot and dry out like it’s supposed to be this weekend,” he said.