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Germans Blame "Polish Fireworks" for New Year's Injuries

By Andrew Curry

Fireworks are an integral part of the German New Year's Eve tradition. Strict regulations and high prices encourage many to do their firecracker shopping across the border in Poland. Unregulated "Polish fireworks" are a perennial problem -- but this year may be their last.

Every year around this time, German firefighters and emergency room doctors look to the New Year holiday with dread. In cities and towns all across Germany, New Year's Eve is an occasion for uncontrolled exuberance -- which often takes the form of uncontrolled fireworks displays launched from street corners and balconies all over the country.

In Berlin, fire department officials triple-staff stations around the city on New Year's Eve to deal with the bang boom. Last year, firefighters in the capital tackled some 1,650 fires between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. on New Year's Eve. Fire departments around the country see a similar spike over the holiday.

There's nothing Polish about "Polish fireworks" -- almost all the fireworks bought in Europe are made in China. But Germany is one of the few countries to have regulations on explosive power and the length of fuses, set by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). Only fireworks with the BAM seal of approval can be imported and sold legally in Germany.

The Nuremberg fire department demonstrated the explosive power of an illegal firecracker -- the type often referred to in Germany as "Polish fireworks" -- by blowing up a pig's foot.