How to Prevent July 4th Fire Hazards

With July 4^th just around the corner, it's time to review our fire safety for this wonderful holiday. Here is how to prevent July 4^th fire hazards in and around your home.

The major sources of fire hazards on July 4^th are fireworks and backyard grills. Fireworks and backyard grills can cause house fires, forest fires and cause injuries by burning your friends and loved ones. With a few precautions you can help prevent these fires and injuries.

The best way to eliminate the fire hazards of fireworks on July 4^th is to not use them at all. Rather than light your own fireworks display in the backyard, attend the July 4^th fireworks display provided by your local community.

If you insist on lighting your own July 4^th fireworks follow some simple and logical rules to reduce your risk of fire. Do not light July 4^th fireworks on dry grass. Using sprinklers or a hose, water down the area you will be using to light the fireworks a couple of hours before you light them, allowing the water to percolate down into the soil. And read the directions.

Some fireworks may be defective and although you have lit them properly they do not perform. These can be a fire hazard. Do not hover over these defective fire works. Rather than poke them with a stick or try to reignite them, use a fire extinguisher and / or a water hose to disarm them so they do not ignite unexpectedly. Always appoint someone as the official fireman who is standing by at all times with the fire extinguisher at the ready.

Do not wear loose or synthetic clothing when setting off July 4^th fireworks. This will reduce the risk of setting yourself on fire (always a good thing). Another way to reduce July 4^th fire hazards is to not be drunk or high when igniting fireworks. Ah ha! Maybe this is how the kids end up putting on the fireworks show at the family BBQ, all the adults are drunk. Make sure to invite an adult in recovery to your July 4^th party so they can take charge of the fireworks.

When it comes to the July 4^th BBQ, you will want to be careful too. A common mistake for BBQ newbies is to add lighter fluid to a fire that is already lit. This is a bad idea as the fire can travel up the stream of lighter fluid and the whole bottle can catch on fire in your hands. July 4^th BBQ newbies need to also be aware of completely extinguishing hot coals before disposing of them.

Enjoy your July 4^th holiday and don't forget to be diligent about fire safety.

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