“The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public fireworks display”, Hudgens said.
Advertisement
As Fourth of July rolls into McDowell in the next few days, law enforcement and emergency agencies want to advise citizens about fireworks – namely, what is legal, what is illegal and what is the safest way to use them. To avoid starting fires, revelers should only deploy fireworks in clear areas and should keep a water source nearby.
If you see someone lighting off illegal fireworks, contact police. It is also illegal to light fireworks within 100 yards of a hospital, nursing home, prison, nuclear power plant and gas station or refinery. “Everything that could hurt them, we try to cover with some kind of PPE to give them that protection”, said Russell.
” Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly”.
“We have fireworks that are silent”, Packard said.
Do not place fireworks in trash containers.
While fireworks remain illegal in Chautauqua County, a 2016 Local Law has allowed the sale and use of “sparkling devices”, which according to the law, are “ground-based or hand-held devices that produce a shower of white, gold or colored sparks as their primary pyrotechnic effect”.
Decades of tragic experience have proved that fireworks are too unsafe to be used by anyone but licensed professionals. “Each year hundreds of people end up with severe eye injuries and burns from fireworks, and many are bystanders and children”.
A responsible adult should supervise all firework activities.
Alcohol – Fireworks and alcohol do not mix. Fireworks at Lake Paran will go off at approximately 9 p.m. Cost is $5 per person, children 3 and under are free. Holding fireworks in your pocket or bag can cause friction that may set the firework off prematurely. Before the ordinance was enacted in 1993, the 10-year average was 104 fireworks-caused fires. It is very important to read the instructions on the fireworks label to make sure you are following the proper procedure. The rain date for the fireworks is Sunday.
A city news release noted that the sound of fireworks can be unsettling to veterans and others with post-traumatic stress disorder.
For more information, including up-to-date information about the schedule, visit the town’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ManchesterGov or call the Parks and Recreation Department at 802-362-1439. Several fire departments, including York County, made short PSA videos to inform the public about the dangers of fireworks.
Advertisement
Fireworks that are legal to buy in the state are: ground sparklers, sparklers, fountains, ground spinners, wheels, illuminating torches, flitter sparklers; firefighters say basically anything that stays on the ground. Families celebrating July 4 should leave the fireworks shows to the professionals.
