Fourth of July Precautions

This weekend our nation with celebrate its independence. Millions of Americans will be attending fairs and parades, hosting barbecues and pool parties, or heading to the seashores and lakeshores. In the midst of our celebration, it's important to remember some safety tips.

Every Fourth of July, thousands of Americans suffer serious injuries due to the use or misuse of unsafe or illegal fireworks. In many states, the use of even the simplest "bottle rocket" is illegal. States such as New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware and Arizona have a ban on all consumer fireworks.

New Jersey, a neighbor to both New York and Delaware, has recently revoked its ban on all fireworks. Maine allows fireworks, but limits them to sparklers. Fun for kids, you may think, but they still have the potential to cause burns. Many people allow children to freely play with sparklers, which can result in anything from a light burn to a severe eye injury.

Other states, like South Dakota, South Carolina, and Tennessee allow most or all legal consumer fireworks to be sold and used throughout the year. Pennsylvania falls somewhere in between. Pennsylvania state law only allows fireworks that don't leave the ground to be sold and used by residents. However, residents from out of state and Pennsylvania residents with a permit can buy any consumer fireworks from an outlet. At the New York and New Jersey borders, police set up sting operations every year to prevent fireworks purchased in Pennsylvania from being transported across the border into New York.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission recommends taking the following precautions to prevent injuries and keep your Fourth of July happy and healthy.

· Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
· Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
· Avoid buying fireworks that come in brown paper packaging, as this can often be a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers.
· Adults should always supervise fireworks activities. Parents often don’t realize that there are many injuries from sparklers to children under five. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals.
· Never have any portion of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Move back a safe distance immediately after lighting.
· Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not fully functioned.
· Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
· Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
· Light one item at a time, then move back quickly.
· Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
· After fireworks fully complete their functioning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding to prevent a trash fire.

If you state prohibits the use of all or certain fireworks, follow the law. It is not worth injury to yourself, your child, or anyone else to illegally use fireworks. Check your local news source for public fireworks displays. These displays are set up with permits and are regulated by the local law enforcement. The best part is these displays will be the most entertaining and the safest, as they are carried out by professional pyrotechnicians.

For more information about fireworks injuries or other burn injuries, please contact Messa & Associates. Our personal injury attorneys are experienced with all types of burn, fireworks, fire, and explosion cases.