The Fourth of July is synonymous with many things: barbecue, family gatherings and fireworks. But during the midst of the holiday’s festivities, it can be easy to forget about safety. In order to avoid any mishaps during this Fourth of July, there are a few things students and residents need to be cautious of.
“The biggest problem (on the Fourth of July) is people not being courteous to their neighbors,” East Lansing Police Department, or ELPD, Captain Jeff Murphy said. “Fireworks don’t have a place in a crowded residential neighborhood.”
According to East Lansing city ordinances, fireworks are only legal to use the day before, the day of and the day after a nationally recognized holiday, Murphy said. When using fireworks, Murphy reminds residents to think about fire dangers and possible injuries, especially when there is alcohol involved.
“Even though a lot more fireworks are legal nowadays, they’re still dangerous,” Murphy said. “It’s always better to take them out of the neighborhood and use them in an open field. Then you’re going to guarantee you won’t have a problem.”
MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor reminds people to never relight or pick up a firework that has been ignited and to always light fireworks one at a time. After the fireworks have completed their burning, douse them with plenty of water to prevent trash fire, McGlothian-Taylor said.
“You can light them 10 to 50 times, but it could be that 51st time that something might go wrong,” McGlothian-Taylor said. “(The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) has indicated that there are about 200 injuries each day around the Fourth of July.”
Vice President of Big Fireworks in Lansing, Sean Conn, said that oftentimes issues arise from sparklers, something most people wouldn’t connect to injuries. Sparklers reach a heat hot enough to melt some metals and most often are given to children. Conn said sparklers actually make up about 20 percent of all firework injuries.
“Those are very hot and if not supervised, those cause injury,” Conn said. “You are basically giving a small child a torch and telling them to run outside in the dark with it.”
When it comes to aerial fireworks, Conn said people need to use them in areas that are not around dry grass or weeds and it should be at least 75-100 feet from larger fireworks. He suggested wearing safety goggles when lighting them off, not to wear loose clothing and to always keep a bucket of water or garden hose nearby.
If people are considering bringing pets out near the fireworks, it’s easiest to determine whether a pet will be okay by their reaction to thunderstorms, Conn said.
“Some pets don’t have a problem with noise but other pets are skittish,” Conn said.
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