GRAND ISLAND— Fireworks enthusiasts are likely to get less bang for their buck in Nebraska this year, but they’ll have more to choose from when fireworks go on sale.

Fireworks distributor Marv Kohler of Grand Island said fireworks prices are up about 10 to 12 percent for a variety of reasons. They include a closed port in China that caused fireworks to be transported an additional 1,000 miles, an increase in material and labor costs and the rise in energy costs.

Kohler also serves as president of the Nebraska Fireworks Retail Association, which represents about 600 retail outlets across the state.

Nebraskans should be able to save on travel time and expense to purchase certain types of fireworks. Kohler said second- and third-break artillery shells and propeller fireworks were approved for sale in Nebraska this year by the state fire marshal.

Previously, second- and third-break artillery shells and propeller fireworks were illegal in Nebraska but legal in the surrounding states of Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Knowing that many Nebraskans were going to the surrounding states to buy those fireworks, Kohler said the association and numerous fireworks distributors submitted the new fireworks to the fire marshal last September for testing and for consideration to be added to the legal list in Nebraska.

Fred Hotz, Grand Island Fire Prevention Division chief Fred Hotz, said that testing includes:

— Checking the grams of powder.

— Discharging the fireworks to measure how high they go.

— Ensuring that displays that are hot when they go up into the sky fall back to the ground cold.

The testing last fall resulted in more fireworks being added to Nebraska’s approved list.

“This gives us a little more variety of things we can sell, and we’re happy about that,” Kohler said.

Second- and third-break artillery shells are like the artillery shells already sold in Nebraska, but they have an additional burst or two of aerial fireworks, Kohler said.

A single artillery shell sells for $4 a half dozen and emits a single burst. The double-break has two bursts and sells for $22 a half dozen.

The triple-break has three bursts and costs $28 for a half dozen. They previously had been denied because it was thought the second and third bursts fell closer to the ground. That’s not the case, Kohler said. Every burst goes up about 60 to 100 feet.

Also added to the approved list are propeller fireworks — most notably one that is a helicopter that shoots up into the air.

Kohler said the same safety tips and precautions apply for the new artillery shells and propeller fireworks as with any other past product.

He did advise people who buy 500 gram fireworks displays to discharge those only in a location that has 100 feet of clearance on all sides and up above.

“I’m encouraging people to not shoot them off in driveways or in front of their homes,” he said. “We’ve had complaints about them in Grand Island in the past.”

Kohler said safety is key when discharging fireworks. It’s also important during the sale, Hotz said.

People should not drive up too close to or smoke near a fireworks stand, he said.

Hotz is pleased to see that more of this year’s 27 fireworks stands in Grand Island are metal Conex storage boxes instead of wooden stands or semi-trailers. Wooden stands can be easily broken into and trailers often have “rickety” steps leading up into them.

Hotz said the Conex stands open on both sides, are flush to the ground and are easily secured at night.