The 4th of July is the occasion to celebrate the United States and it is important to give everything in terms of festivities. Many people will use fireworks, they are perfect to embellish our events but they can quickly turn out to be very dangerous. So here are some of our safety rules to have fun without damage.
1.- Don’t buy just anything from just anyone.
It is important to sort your suppliers carefully! Always opt for stores that specialize in pyrotechnics and are officially recognized as such (these stores must have a sales permit issued by the local authorities). By choosing an authorized dealer, you can be sure that you are buying the right product and getting the right advice on how to use it. So don’t trust a merchant who won’t be able to advise you, who offers to send firecrackers by parcel post, or who doesn’t know where his products come from.
2.- The importance of packaging and conservation.
Before the 4th of July, it is not recommended to open or damage the packaging of your fireworks; it preserves and protects them from humidity (which would make the firecracker unusable), and from heat (which would make it dangerous). A firework can be kept in reserve for 5 years, on the sole condition that it is stored flat, dry and at room temperature to keep it in good working order. And if humidity has still done its work, unwrap your firecracker and try to dry it in the sun.
3.- Choose the shooting location carefully.
Fireworks are not a toy, and choosing the right place to shoot will help to avoid accidents as much as possible. Above all, choose a place that is clear and not cluttered with branches, hedges, etc. Move away from any flammable product, and place around you a security perimeter in which you will be the only one to be in, and beyond which your guests will not take any risk because they will be at a reasonable distance from the shooting. Finally, prefer covering clothes and plan a water point near the shooting place, you never know…
4.- Don’t stand aside!
This fourth piece of advice for this 4th of July may seem obvious. However… Many amateur pyrotechnicians don’t hesitate to go and look very close to the fireworks if they don’t take off, or to stay within the security perimeter once the fireworks are lit. The rule is simple: light your firecracker and go out of the perimeter to get to the level of your guests.
5.- A firecracker does not explode?
If a firecracker doesn’t go off, don’t try to light it again. Stay out of the perimeter, wait until the fuse is out, and stay away for at least 30 minutes.
6.- Aim your rockets at the right place
A firework, even if it is often mastered, remains a dangerous and unpredictable gadget. So never play at threatening someone by pointing a rocket at them, do not point a lit firecracker at your house, and point your fireworks automatically at a clear sky (no trees, clothes dryer, etc.).
7.- Alcohol and fireworks: a bad mix!
Alcohol and firecrackers never mix! Injuries and burns due to the use of fireworks under the effect of alcohol are counted by hundreds each year on 4th of July, so be careful!
