Fourth of July Safety Reminders
June 22, 2010 – 11:37 pm
Celebrating the Fourth of July can be an enjoyable experience with friends and family, because it means delicious picnic food, an appreciation of freedom and, of course, fireworks. However, with this holiday also come serious injuries due to fireworks. In order to prevent a horrific accident at your home this year, follow these simple safety tips.
- Visit a public fireworks display instead of having one at your home. Firework-related injuries more often occur at private displays. Do you really want to take the chance? You, a family member or friend could get seriously hurt or even die in severe cases.
- Obey local laws if you’re going to have your own firework display. Also, keep teenagers away from these explosives.
- Purchase fireworks from a reliable seller to ensure that they are of high quality. However, you can never tell which ones will be duds or unpredictable explosions.
- Supervise your children at all times if they’re old enough to use sparklers. Although these fireworks might seem like the lesser of the evils, sparklers can still cause severe burns, set fires and inflict permanent damage to the eyes.
- Remember, alcohol and explosives don’t mix.
- Abide by common sense safety precautions and only use fireworks outdoors where water is easily accessible. It’s also wise to light one firework at a time and never hold your body over the wick (you or your clothing could catch on fire).
- Never re-light a dud firework. Instead leave it be for 20 minutes and then saturate it in water so you can throw it away.
- Be aware of buildings, grass and other materials around you that can potentially catch on fire.
- Store fireworks in a cool, dry place and always and read the instructions carefully.
Being overly cautious on the Fourth of July doesn’t mean that you’re a downer at the party, it just means that you care enough about your loved ones to prevent them getting injured on a holiday.
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