The Fourth of July holiday is a time for townsfolk to set off personal fireworks but before the celebrating takes place it’s best to know what precautions to take in order to ensure the safety of individuals as well as surrounding property.
“One of the things that people need to understand on preceding the holiday, the fourth – the two days before, day of and the day after, now just remember that there is a curfew on fireworks, the two days before and the two days after its 11:00 pm on the fourth its 12:00 am, midnight,” said Fire Chief Paul Bedont. Other holidays that allow discharge of Class C fireworks is July 22 through 25, December 31 and on Chinese New Year’s Eve.
Safety should always be the number one priority when using fireworks. “The last report we got from the National Fire Administration, in 2017 eight people died from fireworks related injuries, we had over 12,000 people injured badly enough to require medical attention from fireworks. Fires start an average of 19,000 fires a year, that just fireworks, 1,300 of those are structure fires and about 300 are vehicles fires,” stated Chief Bedont. People should understand that if a firework is launched and it causes a fire, that individual could be legally responsible for all the costs associated with that fire. Fireworks violation are a Class B Misdemeanor and that can be up to a $1,000.00 fine or six months in jail.
“Common sense should rule, if people would read the directions on the fireworks, most aerial fireworks can travel up to 150 feet so making sure you have an area that’s clear and avoid dry vegetation. But as a general rule when I see problems with fireworks it’s because people haven’t taken a few moments and thought about what they are doing,” stated Chief Bedont. Adults should never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks without suitable supervision, onlookers should always be at a safe distance from the person igniting the fireworks and a water source should be nearby to fully extinguish fireworks.
The Price City Fire Department would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday.