4th of July Smart Safety Tips

3. Firework Safety Tips

Fireworks are a great way to celebrate the holiday, but they can be dangerous. Leave lighting them to the pros. Inexperience with fireworks is an easy way to get burned or worse.

In the weeks around July 4, an average 200 people a day go to the emergency room with fireworks-related injuries, according to the  Consumer Product Safety Commission. Play it safe and let the pros set off the displays.

If you do use home fireworks, the National Council on Fireworks Safety offers these safety tips:

• Don’t allow young children to handle or use fireworks; teens should always be closely supervised.
• Never use fireworks indoors.
• Always have water ready to douse a fire.
• Know your fireworks. Read the caution label before igniting.
• Obey local laws. If fireworks are not legal where you live, do not use them.
• Alcohol and fireworks never mix.
• Wear safety glasses whenever using fireworks.
• Never relight a “dud” firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
• Soak spent fireworks with water before placing them in an outdoor garbage can.
• Avoid using homemade fireworks or illegal explosives.
• Report illegal explosives, like M-80s, to the fire or police department.

When using sparklers:

• Always remain standing.
• Never hold a child in your arms.
• Never hold or light more than one sparkler at a time.
• Never throw sparklers.
• Sparkler wire and sticks remain hot long after the flame has gone out. Be sure to drop spent sparklers in a bucket of water.
• Teach children not to wave sparklers or run while holding them.

These simple guidelines and common sense tips could make this holiday your safest ever.