Fireworks Safety
Fireworks Safety Tips
What You Should Know About Fireworks Safety
With warm weather and family events, celebrations can be a fun time with great memories. But before your family celebrates, make sure everyone knows about fireworks safety.
To help you celebrate your holidays and special occasions safely using fireworks, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Council on Fireworks Safety offer the following safety tips:
- Always read and follow label directions.
- Always have an adult present.
- Only buy fireworks from reliable sellers.
- Use fireworks outdoors only.
- Always have water handy (a garden hose and a bucket).
- Never experiment or make your own fireworks.
- Light only one firework at a time.
- Never re-light a "dud" firework (wait 15 to 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water).
- Never give fireworks to small children.
- If necessary, store fireworks in a cool, dry place.
- Dispose of fireworks properly by soaking them in water and then disposing of them in your trashcan.
- Never throw or point fireworks at other people.
- Never carry fireworks in your pocket.
- Never shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers.
- The shooter should always wear eye protection and never have any part of the body over the firework.
- Stay away from illegal explosives and illegal fireworks.
Additional Safety Considerations:
- Point fireworks away from homes, and keep away from brush and leaves and flammable substances.
- Always clean your area of debris after you finish using fireworks. Children have a habit of looking for unexploded fireworks. Dispose of fireworks properly.
- Use proper instruments for lighting fireworks, such as instant-on torches, safety flares, punk sticks, and other suitable tools that provide some distance between the fireworks device and the person that is lighting it.
- Think about your pet. Animals have sensitive ears and can be extremely frightened or stressed around loud noises. Keep pets indoors to reduce the risk that they'll run loose or get injured.
- Keep a first aid kit nearby.
Fireworks are meant to be enjoyed, but you'll enjoy them much more knowing your family is safe. Take extra precautions and your holidays and special occasions will be a blast!
Fireworks Safety Links:
National Council on Fireworks Safety
Pyrotechnics Guild International - Safety Guidelines
American Pyrotechnics Association
US Consumer Product Safety Commission - Fireworks Information Center
U.S. Department of Transportation - PHMSA
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Fireworks Safety and Security
American Fireworks Standards Laboratory
Fireworks Law
Spirit of '76 Wholesale Fireworks executes all orders with the condition that the purchaser will use the fireworks legally. Please be aware of and abide by fireworks laws where you will be possessing and shooting fireworks.
In the United States, the laws governing consumer fireworks vary widely from state to state, and from county to county. Be sure to check your state and local laws for regulations governing the possession, distribution or shooting of fireworks.
Spirit of '76 sells only consumer fireworks that have been approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for consumer use. Fireworks that do not meet this certification are classified as commercial (display) fireworks and require a Federal license to purchase and use. Consumer fireworks are those fireworks devices formerly classed as "Class C Common Fireworks" and now classed as "Fireworks 1.4G" by the U.S. Department of Transportation [Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 173.56 (j)]. State laws may vary as to what types of devices are deemed to be "fireworks" under state law. As a result, the responsibility for complying with State and local laws falls upon you (the buyer/purchaser).
Consumer fireworks include cone fountains, cylindrical fountains, roman candles, sky rockets, firecrackers, mines and shells, helicopter-type rockets, certain sparklers and revolving wheels.
The American Pyrotechnics Association has compiled a Directory of State Laws summarizing legal requirements. State laws change all the time and it is possible that the information presented on the APA site is not current or accurate. To be absolutely sure of the laws in your State regulating consumer fireworks, call your State Fire Marshal's office. Spirit of '76 is not responsible for errors, omissions, or inaccuracies that may be present in the data.