July 4th is just around the corner. Many families across the United States are gearing up for the festivities. Most of these festivities include fireworks in some form or another. Here are some quick firework safety tips from your friends at John A. Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning.
Firework Safety Best Practices
1. Know your local laws
Three states have completely banned all consumer fireworks. These are New Jersey, Delaware and Massachusetts.
2. Always supervise children
Never leave children unattended with lighters, matches, sparklers or fireworks.
3. Be careful where you point fireworks
Never point fireworks at yourself, other people, animals or buildings. This applies even when you are just trying to light the firework.
4. Beware of “duds”
If a firework has been lit but appears to be a “dud,” do not approach and attempt to relight it. Some fireworks may have a problem with the fuse that delays setting the firework off. Many of these fireworks will still go off; it just may take longer than expected. Approaching an apparent “dud” before it has gone off may result in serious injury.
5. Keep fireworks away from structures
Never set off fireworks near homes, garages, barns or other structures that may catch fire. Many fireworks produce sparks and a small amount of flammable debris. This is not usually enough to light grass on fire, but it may be enough to light a building on fire if it lands the wrong place. Remember, what goes up must come down. You don’t want a firework to land on the roof of your house and burn your home down.
6. Keep alcohol away from fireworks
Make sure that anyone who is handling fireworks or even standing too close to them is not drinking. Being intoxicated can cause impaired judgement. The last thing anyone wants is someone with impaired judgement handling flammable materials.
In addition, alcohol is a flammable substance. Fireworks produce sparks and flammable debris. The combination of the two could spell disaster if they were to combine and start a fire.
7. Keep fireworks away from the grill
Many grills have gas tanks that are extremely flammable. Sparks or flammable debris from fireworks could cause an explosion if a gas tank were to catch fire.
Need more safety tips from your HVAC experts? Contact us today!
