Fireworks Safety Tips Before the Fourth of July

Fireworks can be pretty awesome. They can also be pretty dangerous … not to mention illegal.

So in the days and weeks leading up to the Fourth of July, a holiday often celebrated with fireworks displays, public safety officials proactively promote fireworks safety. 

A simple, recurring piece of advice given here in Massachusetts is to leave the fireworks to the professionals. In fact, state Fire Marshal Stephen Coan has a page on his department’s website called exactly that: “Leave Fireworks to the Professionals.”

Earlier this month, Lexington Fire Chief John Wilson shared a “FireFACTORS” fact sheet on fireworks from the Fire Marshal’s office. Among the facts on there: That all fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts.

The transportation, possession and use of all fireworks by private citizens is illegal in the state, including Class C fireworks like sparklers and cherry bombs. Though they’re sometimes called “safe and sane,” FireFACTORS points out sparklers burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. (The FireFACTORS sheet is posted as a PDF above.)

Though illegal, amateur fireworks use is not uncommon.

There have been 803 major fire and explosion incidents involving illegal fireworks reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System, which says those incidents resulted in one civilian death, 18 civilian injuries, three fire service injuries and an estimated dollar loss of $2.6 million.

A new report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission says 60 percent of all fireworks injuries occur around the Fourth of July holiday.

According to the report, more than 5,000 United States consumers were treated in hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries between June 22 and July 22 of last year. More than half of the reported injures involved burns to the hand, head and face, and roughly 1,000 of the injuries involved sparklers and bottle rockets, according to a news release.

Many of the fireworks-related injuries reported and treated each year are caused by misuse of or malfunctioning fireworks, according to state and national reports.

Take, for example, a fireworks-related accident on July 4 of last year in Hanover that reportedly left a 52-year-old man with burns to his groin and abdomen, and trauma to his right hand. How'd it happen? He was holding a "torpedo" firework between his legs when it exploded, according to the Massachusetts Burn Injury Reporting System. 

“These figures represent more than numbers; they represent the lives of real people who have been affected well beyond the Fourth of July” CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in the commission's new release. “The federal government is working hard to keep the public safe by monitoring the ports, the marketplace, and the transportation of fireworks.  Now, we need consumers to do their part and celebrate safely.”

The CPSC provides the following advice for people who purchase and use legal fireworks:

• Make sure the fireworks you want to buy are legal in your area before buying or using them.
• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Parents may not realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees ─ hot enough to melt some metals.
• Always have an adult closely supervise fireworks activities if older children are allowed to handle devices.
• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water and throw them away.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding the device to prevent a trash fire.
• ATF encourages the public to report the manufacture or sale of illegal fireworks to your local law enforcement agencies or to the ATF hotline at 1-888-ATF-BOMB (1-888-283-2662).