DuPage sheriff warns of July 4 hazards

Members of the DuPage County Sheriff's Hazardous Device Unit did some weird stuff with potatoes Monday, but with a serious purpose.

With Fourth of July festivities around the corner, deputies conducted several safety demonstrations at the county fairgrounds in Wheaton to show the potentially dangerous effects of illegal explosives — from aerial shells to so-called potato cannons.

“You're not sure what you're going to get when you light the fuse on these things,” Cmdr. Jim Ruff said.

Nationwide, there were roughly 7,000 fireworks-related injuries in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since 2009, Ruff said DuPage County has seen one fatality each year as a result of 3-inch aerial shell explosions, the same products used in professional fireworks displays.

The most recent incident occurred May 30 near Addison when fireworks exploded near the ground, killing one man and injuring others.

The aerial shells, which are regulated by the federal government, are illegal for civilian use and are the most frequent cause of injury or death, said Ruff, a certified bomb technician since 2001.

Ruff said most injuries result when people don't realize how fast the fuse burns or who think a shell is a dud and lean over the tube to check it out. When dealing with a professional-grade shell, he said, each foot of fuse takes only about 0.1 second to burn.

When it comes to handling fireworks, he said, “distance is definitely your friend.”

Deputies said they've seen an increase in the prevalence of aerial shells in recent years. Over a decade ago, when Ruff began his career, he says the unit likely dealt with six such incidents a year. Now that number is closer to 700.

The appearance of homemade potato cannons also has become a concern for DuPage responders. Known as spud guns, the devices are often constructed out of PVC piping and ignited using flammable materials such as hair spray.

“These kind of fall through the cracks because they're not illegal in Illinois yet,” Ruff said.

Deputies on Monday tried firing such a cannon three times. Two of the efforts fizzled, the third sent a potato flying about 200 feet.

“They (the cannons) are made in backyards, they're made in garages,” Chief Deputy Dan Bilodeau said. “They do launch projectiles and there's no way of knowing where they will land.”

“I'm not trying to regulate fun,” Sheriff John Zaruba said in a statement. “My only purpose is to educate parents and prevent disastrous consequences.”