WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) — The Fourth of July festivities are just around the corner and there’s one thing emergency responders can’t stress enough when it comes to fireworks: safety.
“We don’t want any injuries, any damage to buildings, anything like that,” said Dave March, West Chester Borough’s director of communications.
“We strongly encourage people to leave fireworks to the professionals,” said Justin McClure, deputy director of the Chester County Fire Department.
March and McClure said there are many fireworks shows in the Tri-State area, where people can see the night sky light up.
But despite their request to leave the setting off of fireworks to professionals, they say they still see it happening in the neighborhoods year after year.
“If you’re going to do it, do it safely,” March said. “Be safe for your family. Be safe for yourself and your neighbors. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. We want them to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday.”
They said that given the dry conditions and little rainfall, even a spark could cause a lot of damage.
“Even with the brief rainy weather this week, we have had a very dry June, which has resulted in dry vegetation, and fireworks can easily ignite that,” McClure said.
The police want people to take into account others who may be bothered by the loud noises.
“You may live near elderly people, people who have pets, or even people who have served our country, they are all affected in different ways when fireworks go off,” March said.
Firefighters and police officers report that even the tiny sparklers can be more dangerous than they appear.
“They burn at about 2,000 degrees. We see little kids running around with sparklers all the time. Their attention span is short, so they trip, they turn around,” March said. “That’s a very hot stick in their hand.”
Kerri Corrado
