4th of July Home Fireworks Safety Tips

6/25/2019 (Permalink)

4th of July Home Fireworks Safety Tips

Top Fireworks Safety Tips at Home

It’s that time of year again. Time to compete with your neighbors to see who has the biggest and best fireworks display According to the  National Fire Protection Association, more house fires are reported on the 4th of July than any other day with more than half caused by fireworks. So while you pull out your bottle rockets, mortars, roman candles, sparklers, and other highly explosive munitions to light up the night for your friends and family, it’s important to follow all safety rules and tips to keep yourself, your friends and family, and your home safe this 4th of July in the Indianapolis area. Below we’ve listed some of the top safety tips to follow to ensure you have a safe and happy 4th of July.

Keep Children Away. Designate a Fireworks Lighter.

There really isn’t any safe fireworks for kids. While many kids are given sparklers, they can reach temperatures up to 1,000 degrees and easily burn a child or cause their clothing to catch fire. Make sure that all children are kept a safe distance away from any fireworks that are being ignited. It’s a good idea to have adults supervising the kids while a designated adult is chosen to light the fireworks. With one designated fireworks lighter, you are less at risk of severe injuries and explosions as a result of too many people lighting fireworks off at the same time. 

Keep Water and a Fire Extinguisher On Hand.

Even if you are following all of the fireworks safety tips, there is still a risk of accidents happening. This can be the result of faulty fireworks igniting prematurely. This can be the result of fireworks falling over and firing at property or people. A single firework can explode near the stored fireworks setting off an explosive chain reaction of destruction. This is why it is important to have buckets of water and fire extinguishers on hand in the event that a fire is started in your grass, in a tree, or on your home. It’s also a good practice to dispose of any spent fireworks in a bucket of water to reduce the risk of re-ignition or a secondary fire or explosion.

Close Your Garage Door. Be Aware of Your Surroundings.

If you are shooting off fireworks near homes like in a driveway or the middle of a cul-de-sac, make sure that garage doors, windows, and doors are closed. Not only do you not want smoke and debris from the fireworks to blow into homes, but you also want to reduce the risk of fireworks shooting through an open window or garage and exploding. It’s especially important to make sure you shut your garage doors before lighting off fireworks as there may be flammable liquids like gas and solvents stored in the garage that could potentially explode from an errant bottle rocket firing into your garage.

It’s also important to be aware of any cars, sheds, bushes, dry fields, trees, and other objects that could be at risk of catching on fire or exploding. If it has been especially dry, you need to be careful as to not shoot off fireworks around trees, forests, and fields that could catch on fire. This probably isn’t the case with the central Indiana area this year due to all of the rain but is still important to be aware of. 

Douse Spent Fireworks with Water Before Putting in Trash

A small ember inside a large firework can slowly burn for hours without anyone noticing. If you throw that large firework in the trash and go to bed, you could wake up to a literal dumpster fire. If you store your trash cans inside your garage, the damage from a trash fire could be much worse. While you are shooting off fireworks, be sure to place all the spent fireworks in a single pile on the ground or in a metal container that won’t catch fire. Some people even throw them all in a bucket of water after they have been shot off. Before you clean up and dump all the spent fireworks in your trash, it is important to wet them down. You can spray them on the ground with a hose or soak them in a bucket of water to ensure they are completely soaked with water and there isn’t a chance they could re-ignite. Even the smallest of fireworks and debris could be hot enough to ignite something in your garbage. 

Be Safe and Have a Great 4th of July. 

Follow the steps above and be extra careful around fireworks and you and your family should have a safe and happy 4th of July. If a fire should start, whether it’s in your yard or your home, don’t try to be a hero. Have a cell phone handy and ready to call 911 if things get out of hand. If a fire should occur, you can trust the fire damage restoration experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West to help clean up the damage and restore your home. From all of us at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West, we wish you a Happy 4th of July? Have fun and be safe.