5 Safety Precautions To Take When Celebrating With Fireworks
Thursday, July 2nd, 2015 by Gayle Sullivan, RN, JD | Posted In: Personal Injury
It is that time of year. A time to gather with friends and family, have a cookout and yes, light some fireworks. The truly safest way to enjoy a fireworks display is by attending one that is sanctioned by your local community.
If you’d prefer to have a fun celebration in your own backyard, here are five steps, from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, you can take to protect yourself and your guests from the danger of improper fireworks use.
- Keep fireworks out of reach of young children. It may be fun to have your kids light the fireworks and see them sparkle in the night sky, but it is NOT safe.
- Avoid fireworks that are packaged in brown paper – this indicates that they were meant for professional displays and are not fit for consumers
- Do not re-light fireworks that may not have ignited, just consider them to be a “dud.”
- Keep a garden hose or bucket full of water nearby in case of a fire
- Take it one step at a time. It might make for a spectacular show when you light fireworks all at once, but it also makes for a much more dangerous situation.
If you’re attending a cookout this summer and see someone not following these guidelines, speak up, you may save someone’s life. For a complete list of safety precautions click here.
Enjoy the summer and always be safe!