Have a great Fourth of July holiday!

With warm weather and family events, the Fourth of July can be a fun holiday with great memories.  In order to keep all those memories good, make sure everyone knows about fireworks safety.

Yeah, we know, everybody KNOWS about fireworks safety, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t follow it.  Unfortunately, those are the same people who grace the halls of emergency rooms all over the nation this time of year.  Accidents will happen obviously, but a few preventative measures might keep the rest of us going home at the end of the festivities.

If you really want to purchase some fireworks to set off at home, check with your local police department and make sure it’s legal.  The fireworks are expensive enough without adding a donation to your city with a ticket.  If it is legal, be sure to exercise a little caution.  It’s best not to let children play with fireworks, but at the very least, don’t leave them unattended.  Fireworks make cool noise and blow up.  It’s only natural to up the cool factor and try to blow things up with them.   Then there’s the whole “I dare you” to do stupid things like hold the fireworks in your fingers and throw them right before they blow up.  This is all fun and games until somebody loses an eye or a finger. 

Even sparklers are dangerous.  Unless you would like to use the money you saved from haircuts to buy stock in aloe vera and a new wardrobe, don’t let your children play with these things unattended.  Sparklers can reach 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit……hot enough to melt gold!

Be sure you purchase only legal fireworks.  Look for the label with the manufacturer’s name and directions on them.   Illegal ones don’t have any labels.

Never try to make your own fireworks.  Explosives are unpredictable and can leave you eyebrowless or worse.  Please  leave that up to the experts.

Always use fireworks outside and keep a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby, just in case.

Watch out for others!  Fireworks are unpredictable and can backfire or shoot off in the wrong direction. Don’t ruin the holiday for someone else by throwing or aiming fireworks at them.

Clean up brush piles, cut your grass low, and don’t aim fireworks at your house.  It’s best to keep them away from anything flammable.  The fire department is really busy during this holiday, so don’t add to their work load.

When you’re finished blowing things up, put all the empty shells in a bucket of water to soak before you throw them away.  This way you prevent turning your trash can into a roman candle.

For the adults having their fun, please don’t mix fireworks with alcohol.  Drinking inhibits your good judgement resulting in attempts to blow things up and hold fireworks in your fingers until just before they explode.  In this situation, nothing good ever comes out of somebody with a beer in one hand and a lighter in the other saying “hey ya’ll, watch this!”

Don’t forget about your pets!  Cats and dogs can be very sensitive to the noise from fireworks, so you might turn on the radio or television for some distraction noise.  Some animals are severely affected, so you may need to contact your veterinarian ahead of time for some medication.

The best way to spend the Fourth of July is to plan a big party, eat, drink, and be merry with friends and family, then pack up everybody to the local park for a professional display.  You get the noise and the pretty lights, and the best part is you don’t have to clean up the mess afterward. 

For those of you traveling this holiday season, have a safe trip.  Cheers to everyone for a safe and happy Fourth of July!