VOLUSIA

Volusia deflates DeBary's July 4 bounce houses

Dustin Wyatt
dwyatt@shj.com

Volusia County officials lit a fuse recently when they informed DeBary it couldn't use inflatable slides or bounce houses at its own Independence Day celebration.

It sparked a debate: How safe are the blow-up amusements?

[RELATED: Volusia plans beach cleanup after trash-heavy July 4]

DeBary leaders have rolled them out at their annual red, white and blue event at Volusia's Gemini Springs Park for the past 10 years and say they've never had a problem. They were also seen, as colorful as a fireworks display, at an Orange City event Saturday.

But with accidents involving bounce houses on the rise — videos of them taking flight like a hot air balloon or flipping over like tumbleweeds are a Google search away — county officials worry they will be held liable if something were to go wrong. The best way to avoid that risk is to simply say no to the equipment on county property. Other cities, like DeLand, have imposed similar bans.

Charles Spencer, Volusia County's risk manager, responded in a June 4 email to a mother who had requested a bounce house in a county park for a birthday party. The birthday wish wasn't granted.

"As a property owner, we have a duty to maintain the premises in a safe condition and to warn of known hazards," Spencer wrote. "If something should happen alleging improper maintenance while in use (such as it not being properly secured or a defect that we should have discovered upon inspection while in use) that would likely fall back on the property owner and the party renting the bounce house."

The matter was also discussed without a vote at a recent council meeting, as Councilman Fred Lowry wanted that explanation on the record.

"People are getting hurt," County Manager George Recktenwald said on June 18."It's happening across the nation."

At the last minute, DeBary officials had to think of another way to provide fun for kids during the seven-hour family festival. They may move future events elsewhere.

"As far as entertaining the kids, it certainly puts a damper on the fun," said DeBary City Manager Carmen Rosamunda. "It's disappointing. We tried to build this event up to be on one of the marquee events in Central Florida, and entertainment for the kids is so important."

More accidents, no regulations

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission told The News-Journal that there were 19,200 hospital emergency room-treated injuries in 2018 associated with inflatables. That reflects a 261-percent increase in inflatable-related injuries since 2003.

There have been reported cases this year. In April, a bounce house set up outside a public library in Muskogee, Oklahoma, was picked up by a strong gust of wind. With three children trapped inside, it flipped several times in mid-air before crashing to the ground. The children escaped with minor injuries.

A 2017 investigation by the Pew Research Center and the Boston Globe found that inflatable rides, like moonwalks, are far less regulated than their carnival ride counterparts.

Only half of states have regulations governing permits, inspections and insurance for inflatable rides. Florida is among the states that don't have any regulations at all. 

The CPSC doesn't track its accident data by state, but a search of news archives only turned up one reported incident in the Sunshine State over the past five years. The only one to garner headlines occurred in 2015 on the beach in Fort Lauderdale during a city-run Memorial Day event. A bounce house shot 20 feet in the air, and soared over Palm trees and four lanes of traffic on State Road A1A, after a sudden waterspout erupted from the ocean, along with winds up to 80 mph. Three chidren were injured.

There have been no known incidents reported in Volusia County, which has more than 15 retailers listed on Google. The News-Journal contacted several for this story.

'Well aware of the risks'

The local bounce house business appears to be booming. Business owners say said won't be negatively impacted by the county's decision. They also stated their commitment to keeping children safe.

Still, Lynn Sutton, who's owned Good Time Bounce in Lake Helen for 14 years, said she understands why the county and other municipalities see a need to keep inflatables off public property.  It's likely that some companies don't have insurance for two reasons: it costs too much, and they aren't required to have it, she said.

With no mandated state inspections, there's little oversight to ensure equipment used by children isn't damaged or broken. To stay on the safe side, Sutton said she replaces her equipment every five years, but not everyone does.

"When Volusia County says they aren’t going to authorize these in parks anymore, I actually like that because there are so many companies just throwing these things down," she said, adding that she'd support stricter regulations in Florida.

"Not just for my company," she said, "but because I am a mother."

David Herstein, who's owned Jumpin Beans Party Rentals in Port Orange for 20 years, said he's "well aware of the risks" associated with his equipment. That's why he and his employees are extra careful.

"We secure our units incredibly well," he said. "My guys take this very seriously."

He said the county's decision to bar inflatables from parks is "honestly not a big deal for us" because they aren't typically asked to set up in county parks. Going out to homes for private birthday parties or setting up at a church event is more common.

"We are blessed with a lot of customers; we’ve been doing this for a lonig time," said Herstein, whose client list also includes several cities.

DeBary finds alternatives

The smiling faces of children jumping inside a bounce house can still be found at some public city parks in Volusia County. For example, it's common to see inflatable slides, moonwalks, obstacle courses and more at events hosted by Orange City and Port Orange.

City officials say they take every precaution to ensure safe and proper use.

Orange City requires the vendor to provide proof of insurance. The city also pays a little extra money to the vendor so it can have a staff person at events. This person properly installs the equipment, making sure it's firmly tethered to the ground, monitors wind levels, makes sure the houses don't become too crowded, and keeps teenagers that are too big for the rides from entering.  

"We haven't seen anything as far as accidents," said Ashley Gay, the city's director of parks and recreation.

Orange City had the bounce houses at its 4th of July celebration at Valentine Park. At DeBary's event Thursday, you're more likely to see children jumping inside a burlap bag pulled up to their waist.

After learning that they wouldn't be allowed to roll out their typical attractions for the city's youngsters, DeBary went old-school: three-legged races, potato sack relays, tug-of-war, cornhole and giant Connect 4.

DeBary city offiicals hope to bring the inflatables back to future events, even if that means moving to another location. Any change to the county's bounce house policy would need to be approved by the county council.

"Hopefully, this is just tempoary," Rosamunda said. "Hopefully, they will get the policy changed and we can get back to holding great family events."