Firework Safety Tips: How to Safely Enjoy the 4th of July

Being able to light fireworks and watch them go is every child's dream, but it is important to maintain some safety standards to avoid harmful accidents when setting of fireworks for the 4th of July and other holidays. The following tips will help you to keep as safe as possible while lighting and enjoying fireworks.

Safety Tip: Explain Firework Safety to Your Children
The rest of these tips will not do any good if you do not explain them to your children at whatever degree is appropriate for their age. Children should be aware that fireworks are dangerous, and that they are not toys.

Safety Tip: Don't Buy Illegal Fireworks
If a firework is illegal, it's probably for a good reason. Be a good citizen and stick to your state's laws regarding fireworks. They are for your protection, and following the rules will also be a good demonstration to your children about the importance of government and authority.

Safety Tip: Store Fireworks Outside the Home in a Secure Location
The best place to store fireworks is in a locked shed. Do not keep them inside the home where children know where to get to them, and where small household fires could set them off.

Safety Tip: Always Supervise Children
Never allow children to set off fireworks on their own. If they are not old enough to buy them, they are not old enough to use them by themselves. Always have parents or other adults watching when children are around fireworks. If children are allowed to light fireworks, make sure they know how to do so, and have an adult carefully watching and helping as needed.

Safety Tip: Use Fireworks Outdoors in an Open Location
Fireworks should never be used indoors, no matter how small they are or how rainy it is outside. In addition, the area in which fireworks are being lit should not have low-hanging branches or shrubs in the immediate vicinity.

Safety Tip: Follow the Instructions on the Firework Packaging
The easiest and most important way to stay safe while using fireworks is to fully read and follow the instructions that come with each firework. If they tell you to launch your rockets out of a metal tube at a 45º angle, then do that, instead of loosely balancing them at an angle against a log you found in your woodpile.

Safety Tip: Plan Ahead
To avoid long delays while setting off your fireworks, do your reading beforehand and collect any needed supplies. This will help you to avoid making hurried and bad decisions in an effort to keep the show going.

Safety Tip: Keep Flammable Items Away from Fireworks
If you are lighting your fireworks with matches, only bring a small package outdoors, and keep all but the one you are using at a distance. If you have gasoline around for your grill or small vehicles, store it somewhere far away from where your fireworks will be reaching.

Safety Tip: Designate a "Do Not Enter" Zone
When you decide where to set off the fireworks, have a clearly defined area around them where people are not allowed to be, unless they are lighting the fireworks. If possible, mark it somehow (chalk works well in streets).

Safety Tip: Have a Hose Handy
It is a good idea to have a hose in the area where you will be setting off your fireworks. As each one is done being used, hose it down with a little water until it is completely extinguished, and set it aside.