Feature
June
30
Fireworks Safety
by Terry Trahan, Jr.
As families and communities gather for the Fourth of July weekend, officials remind residents to make safety a priority during the festivities.
A traditional way to celebrate the day, fireworks have long remained a safety concern because of their popularity as explosives.
“By they’re nature, they’re dangerous,” said St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne. “The worst are the bottle rockets and those that go up.”
In 2010, Americans purchased $636 million in fireworks that kept the rockets’ red glare sparkling in the night sky. The fireworks industry also gained $316 million in revenue from display fireworks, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission filed a 2010 report stating that three people died from fireworks-related incidents last year. Of those, one man was killed as a result of the careless use of a Roman candle, a popular firework purchased by consumers.
The report also revealed that U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated 6,300 fireworks-related injuries from June 18 through July 18, 2010. Of those, 1,200 injuries resulted from sparklers and 400 from bottle rockets. Children under age 15 accounted for nearly 40 percent of the reported injuries.
In Louisiana, residents must be at least age 15 to purchase fireworks legally.
Officials have made purchasing and popping fireworks illegal in Terrebonne, St. Mary and St. Charles parishes. Fireworks are also illegal within Thibodaux’s city limits. Residents in rural Lafourche and Assumption parishes can continue to purchase and pop fireworks, but officials urge caution with the recent drought.
Despite the ban in some areas, police officers continue to respond to fireworks-related reports in the parishes where they are illegal. Officers ticket the offenders, but Champagne admits that it’s a challenge to keep thousands from participating.
“It’s like outlawing light beer,” he said. “People are going to do it.”
When it comes to popping fireworks, the CPSC recommends the following tips to keep residents and communities safe:
- Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
- Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
- Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities.
- Never place any part of the body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
- Never try to relight or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
- Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
- Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
- Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
- After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.
Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or popping them.
Officials say a safer Fourth of July alternative would be to attend a professional public fireworks display in the community. Here’s what the area has planned for the holiday weekend:
July 2
The Patriots’ Parade and Fireworks Display will roll through the streets of Houma to the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd., where events are scheduled throughout the day. At 9 p.m., a fireworks display will light up the sky above the civic center.
July 3
The St. Charles Parish Independence Day Celebration will provide a festive evening at the West Bank Bridge Park, 13850 River Road, in Luling. The fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
In Assumption Parish, a fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. at Attakapas Landing, 1324 Highway 401, in Napoleonville. The display will take place over Lake Verret.
July 4
The Let Freedom Ring Festival features a day of patriotic events at Peltier Park, 506 Bayou Lane, in Thibodaux. The fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
