Many cities and towns have been forced to cancel 4th of July fireworks celebrations because they can't justify paying for the explosives in this tough economy.
Abington is calling off their display because the fire chief says he doesn't have enough staffing. But his own men think the show should still go on
This is the third time in 33 years Abington's "Night Before the Fourth" has been scrapped. The other two times they couldn't raise the cash.
The fire chief says he has 24 guys on that night and 21 would have to be committed to being at the show. That would leave only three firefighters to respond to emergencies. But the Abington Firefighters Union says other towns could cover them through mutual aid and they say if Abington calls off their fireworks display, some people will try to light off their own which is illegal
The union insists this is not a budgetary issue They say the $30,000 tab is paid for by private donations which covers the costs of using off duty firefighters
Many residents are upset about the cancellation. If the firefighters believe it can be done safely should the chief agree?
If your town is having fireworks how did they pull it off in this economy?
