-David Crowder, WRGA News-
With Independence Day coming up, many will be celebrating with fireworks at their homes.
Times have changed, and fireworks are much more readily available in Georgia, and public safety officials are reminding everyone to be safe.
“Make sure you are not buying something that’s, maybe, more than you can handle,” said Captain Ron Hunton with the Floyd County Police Department. Maybe do some research yourself and take a look at what it is you are buying—how does it function? What does it do? You don’t want something that launches into the air, and you are trying to set that off in your carport, or if you have a lot of trees overhead, and things like that. Just doing some research myself, it talks about proper site selection and being aware of where you are and what is around you. You want something that’s fairly open on flat ground, without a lot of dry debris. What goes up comes back down, right? So, while the firework may shoot into the air, when it falls back to the ground, it’s still hot.”
Hunton also recommends protective gear.
“If you are the one who is lighting them, and you’re going to be in close proximity—it’s not like they come with a long fuse—you have to be standing fairly close,” he said. You may want to throw on some long sleeves and eye protection for sure, because sometimes things do go wrong. You know, your kids are outside and want to see, so maybe throw some protection on your kids and yourself. Eye protection is always a good idea.”
Have a water source nearby just in case something does catch on fire, and do not try to relight dud fireworks that don’t go off.
Never shoot fireworks at another person, a highway or someone else’s home.
“Be conscientious of your neighbors,” Hunton added. Be neighborly with each other and be cognizant of who your neighbors are. Another concern is pets. If you live somewhere near a horse farm or something like that, you may want to talk to your neighbor that has horses and tell them you’re planning a Fourth of July get-together and will be shooting fireworks. They may want to move their horses, or put them in the barn. It’s not just large livestock; it’s also your dogs and your cats, and not everyone is a fan of fireworks and loud noises. So, just be neighborly.”
And be aware of state laws and local ordinances pertaining to when you are allowed to shoot fireworks, which is until midnight.
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