The Consumer Products Safety Commission gives these fireworks safety guidelines for home use:
- Never allow children to play with fireworks
- Read and follow all warnings and instructions
- Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
- Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from flammable materials.
- Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned.
- Keep a bucket of water in case of a malfunction or fire.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: N/A
Here's How:
- Line up the home fireworks display with a viewing area on one side only. Don't watch from all sides; it's too hard to keep an eye on all participants if the display is surrounded.
- Keep the fireworks sitting on a hard flat surface with nothing flammable around. Dry leaves and foilage are especially dangerous. Look at the plants and grass - if it's yellow and dead, that is not a good place to be setting off fireworks. Concrete or a well-watered, green lawn is the best. Using lawn will keep burn marks off the concrete.
- Keep a bucket handy. Fill it about 2/3 full with water and use to soak used fireworks and duds.
- Keep a hose with a shut-off nozzle nearby. The water should be on and the hose should be ready to instantly douse any wayward fires.
- To make a flat surface on lawn, place a wide piece of lumber across the grass. Soak the lumber with water before placing the fireworks.
- Place the fireworks about 6 inches apart along the board in the order they will be lit.
- Only one person should light the display. That person should not be drinking alcohol before or during the show and should be at least 14 years old.
- Only light one firework at a time.
- If a firework doesn't light, or doesn't work after the fuse burns all the way down, it's called a dud. Wait at least 20 minutes after lighting the fuse and then place the dud into the bucket of water.
- Wait until each firework is finished before lighting the next.
- Sparklers should only be handled by kids older than 12.
- Make sure that people with lit sparklers stay at least 10 feet apart.
- Put all used sparklers in the water bucket.
- After all the fireworks have been lit and all used fireworks and duds have soaked for at least 10 minutes, discard the fireworks in an outside trashcan.
- In case of burns during the use of fireworks, follow the tips for How to Treat a Burn.
Tips:
- Never smoke around fireworks!
- Do not light fireworks on windy days.
- Wear cotton clothing to light fireworks. Synthetic fibers tend to melt onto skin, while cotton does not burn easily.
- Use a long-tipped lighter for lighting fireworks to keep hands and faces away from fuses.
- Questions or comments about fireworks? Post to the Forum!
What You Need:
- Five gallon bucket filled 2/3 full with water
- Concrete or well-watered lawn at least 15 feet by 10 feet
- Five feet or longer piece of lumber at least six inches wide
- Viewing area at least 15 feet from the display
- Garden hose with shut-off nozzle
- Legal fireworks