Many of us love watching fireworks at Christmas, New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July, and other occasions. In fact, sometimes we love them so much that we decide to pay some money to buy our own and let them off with a bang at our next celebratory event, such as a birthday party, wedding, or the like.
However, using these products does pose some safety risks. Here are some tips to keep everyone safe and enjoying the sparkle the next time you use fireworks.
Buy Proper Products
For starters, be smart about where you buy products and what type of goods you purchase. To stay safe when using fireworks, pick out quality, genuine, well-designed, and adequately tested goods. Purchase your fireworks from reliable sources which are licensed and have a good name in the industry.
Whether you want to buy roman candles, cakes, rockets, fountains, or other styles, purchasing gear from dealers that sell items that meet U.S. Consumer Product Commission standards and make only legal products available is best. When examining fireworks, look for a manufacturer’s name on the packaging along with an instruction label. If these things are missing, it’s a sign that the goods are illegal.
Read All the Instructions
Before you set off fireworks, read all the information on the packaging or the instructions inside the products that give you details about cautions, directions of use, and other relevant data. Following these notes will help to ensure your safety and the safety of those in the vicinity when using fireworks.
While many products work the same way, there can be differences, so don’t assume that you know all the ins and outs of using all brands and styles just because you’ve used fireworks before.
Create a Safety Perimeter
Next, create a safety perimeter when setting up fireworks. You need to know there’s ample clear space around the area where you’ll light them. Set up somewhere with plenty of room away from homes, sheds, and other buildings and structures. Only use fireworks in open, flat, level spaces with no flammable materials nearby that could accidentally catch alight.
Stay away from trees and grass, etc., and instead, get your products ready to go on even surfaces such as concrete, bare dirt, stone, or sand. Develop a safety perimeter so that anyone in the vicinity knows how far back to stay from the fireworks to remain secure. It helps to utilize some “Caution” or other tape or visual barrier that will help people to remember to stay clear. The perimeter when using aerial fireworks is usually at least 150 feet. For ground-based goods, you can generally stick with a lesser 35 feet clearance or so.
Don’t Drink or Do Drugs and Operate Fireworks
Another safety tip is to avoid using alcohol or drugs while operating fireworks. Being affected by such substances can give you a hazy mind and lessened coordination skills, which is the last thing you want when working with dangerous items. You want to handle fireworks with care when you know your reaction times are optimal and you have all your wits about you.
Check What the Weather’s Going to Be Like Before Setting Fireworks Off
Also, pay attention to the weather forecast and the sky. You don’t want to set fireworks alight in the wrong weather conditions when safety hazards can arise due to strong winds or lots of lightning, for instance. Hold off until another time if the weather might push sparks out further than expected and potentially lead to fires or other hazards.
Keep Pets Indoors and Children Supervised
Keep pets and children safe from fireworks, too. Secure your animals indoors or in another area where they not only can’t be harmed by the fireworks themselves but also won’t end up in a panic over the loud noise of the show and run away or hurt themselves trying to do so. It’s best to leave your pets at your home or take them to a friend or family member’s place where someone will be home to calm them.
As for children, while you can take kids to watch the fireworks display if you want, youngsters must be carefully supervised by adults who will ensure they don’t play with fireworks or get too close to the staging area for lighting them.
These are some of the primary steps you can take to be safe when utilizing fireworks, but you can also be smart by storing fireworks securely after you purchase them and disposing of them lawfully after they’ve been used.
Don’t try to rush the process of lighting fireworks, lest you hurt yourself, and don’t try to reuse duds, in case they go off while you’re handling them. Finally, create a safety plan for the night in case something goes wrong.
Lighting a fireworks display for your own personal use can make for a magical evening and put a smile on every attendee’s face. However, this only happens if no one gets hurt. As such, take precautions as per the above and be aware of the dangers to better mitigate against potential risks.
