Fireworks safety is every ones business!
According to the consumer product safety commission, industry watch dogs such as the National Fireworks Association and 
The American Pyrotechnics Association say injuries caused by fireworks continues to decline annually, even though usage continues to increase, yay! So, if more and more people are using more and more fireworks, and more and more states are legalizing them…how are injuries dropping?
Unfortunately, one of the leading factors is NOT common sense. Misuse is still and likely always will be the number one cause of injuries from fireworks, so let’s ignore those closer to the bottom of the gene pool and focus on those we can help. Several organizations have cobbled together brochures on how to safely celebrate with fireworks. “Celebrate Safely” is even the APA’s tag line for their safety program. They all have several key points in common, and we list them here.
- Always follow label directions. Light fuse and get away!
- Always Brace Cakes! They can be prone to tip, place a log or something on at least 2 sides.
- Always keep a water source nearby, we like the 2gl garden sprayers as an option. A 5gl bucket is better than nothing.
- Always wear safety glasses, most of us only have two eyes…and prefer to keep them.
- Always make sure you have plenty of distance from people and property. For every 1″ of tube diameter you should have at least 70′ of clearance at a minimum. So a 500g cake with 2″ tubes should be at least 140′ from any houses or other people!
- Rockets and other flying / spinning devices should be given extra distance as their direction of travel can be unpredictable.
- Never allow children under to use fireworks unsupervised. This includes adult, children.
- Know the local fire departments phone number and be ready to act quickly if needed by calling them, never attempt to fight a larger fire.
- Never throw away discharged fireworks until the next day, they can smolder for several hours and start unsuspecting trash fires, or worse.
Follow these and other simple tips when celebrating with fireworks and you should enjoy the reason for the occasion and not a trip to a hospital instead. You can right click the image above, save as and print for distribution.