Firework Safety

Attend a Local Event that Employs Firework Professionals
 
The best way to remain safe during a firework celebration is to attend a local event.  Leaving the firework deployment to trained professionals will decrease your chance of experiencing a firework-related injury on the holiday.

Hosting Your Own Firework Celebration

If you feel you must purchase and deploy your own fireworks, follow all safety precautions.  The following tips can help you keep your personal firework celebration free of injuries and fatalities:

• Follow your city, state, or country’s ordinances.  In some locations, fireworks are prohibited.
• Ensure that an adult supervises the firework activities closely.  Large fireworks and fireworks labeled “18 and over” should always be deployed by an adult.
• Keep spectators at a safe distance from the deployment field.
• Purchase fireworks from a reputable fireworks dealer.
• Never drink alcohol while deploying fireworks.
• Light fireworks outdoors ONLY.  Deploy fireworks a safe distance from homes, trees, and dry grass. Concrete board is an excellent base for fireworks.
• Keep a water source nearby to douse any fires.  A hose can extinguish fires, and a bucket of water is always handy for soaking / deactivating duds.
• The person deploying the fireworks should always wear safety goggles.
• Light fireworks one at a time, and ensure unlit fireworks are kept a safe distance from any flames.  Ideally, unused/unlit fireworks should be stored in a closed metal box to avoid accidental deployment.
• If you encounter a dud firework, do not try to relight.  Instead, set the firework aside for twenty minutes, and then place the dud in a bucket of water to deactivate.
• Fireworks are not toys.  Keep small children away from all fireworks.
• Never point a firework at another person.
• Never put fireworks in your pockets.
• Do not deploy fireworks from metal or glass containers.
• Never make your own fireworks, and never modify pre-made fireworks.
• Consider man’s best friend – pets have sensitive ears and can be scared by fireworks.  Keep your pet safe by keeping him/her inside.  See your vet about tranquilizers if fireworks stress your animal too much.
• Sparklers can be very dangerous to children.  They can reach 1,800° Fahrenheit (982° Celsius).  Only allow children over the age of 12 to handle sparklers on their own.  Always supervise younger children in keeping a safe distance from sparklers.
• Never hold a firework to light and/or deploy it. Ensure that the firework has been loaded/set up properly.
• Deployed fireworks may remain hot for a while, or they may only have been partially deployed.  Do not allow children to clean up firework pieces.  An adult should pick up firework fragments and soak them in water before disposing of in the trash.