Fireworks are a quintessential part of July 4th celebrations and can be a lot of fun, but they are also inherently dangerous. The Arlington County Fire Department wants everyone to enjoy Independence Day by keeping it safe.
For a guaranteed good time without any unplanned trips to the emergency room, “Our recommendation is, leave it up to the professionals,” says Gregg Karl, Captain of the Arlington County Fire Department. “Go see a fireworks show somewhere. It’s the safest way to do it. The professional shows are inspected by a fire marshal. There’s ton of safety built into their shows, and they’re licensed professionals.”
There are many places throughout Arlington, Falls Church and McLean to safely view public fireworks displays.
If you do decide to light your own fireworks at home, remember that even the smallest fireworks can be dangerous, Karl says. There’s always a risk of being burned, or of setting clothes or nearby items or structures on fire. It’s not like a grill or firepit where the flames are contained in a single fixed space.
“You don’t know what that firework is going to do,” he cautions. “There’s a failure rate with anything. There’s always a chance of something misfiring that happens quite regularly with fireworks.”
For starters, make sure any explosives you light at home are permissible fireworks. These can be purchased from local seasonal stands or at Costco. The stand you’re buying from should have a displayed Fire Prevention Office permit from Arlington (or another Virginia) jurisdiction. Don’t go over the border to buy fireworks in another state. These may be illegal.
“The fire marshal’s office and the police department will be out watching for these types of fireworks,” Karl says. “It will be their determination as to what the consequences would be if we find fireworks that are not permissible.”
Worst case: the penalties for possession, distribution or sale of illegal fireworks could include a $2,500 fine or up to 12 months in jail–or both.
Legal fireworks can be seen in the YouTube video above and include:
- Fountains
- Sparklers
- Pop rocks/Party poppers
Illegal Fireworks include anything that goes “boom” or goes up in the air such as:
- Cherry bombs
- Firecrackers
- Roman candles
- Mortars
- Bottle rockets
You must be 18 or older to buy fireworks and they can only be used on private property—never on county, state or federal lands. (That includes streets, sidewalks, parks and schools.) Children should not be allowed to light fireworks or sparklers or run around with them. They should always be under the supervision of an adult who has not been drinking.
Additionally, never throw or aim fireworks at another person. Make sure you’re at least 25 feet away from any structure—and never set them off on a balcony.
“If you’re on the balcony of a building, you’re still considered in the building,” Karl cautions. “We have seen that where people were shooting illegal fireworks off those balconies. We have responded to those types of calls in the past.”
And never, ever set them off indoors, Karl says. Though this may seem obvious, the local fire department has responded to calls for indoor firecracker emergencies, including one instance where more than 1,000 firecrackers were set off illegally inside a public mall.
“There was smoke, fireworks going off, being shot off in the building. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Karl says.
Attention to safety should continue even after the fun is over. Once fireworks are extinguished, dispose of them properly. Karl says they should be left to soak in a bucket of water overnight, then placed in the trash. Even permissible fireworks made of cardboard tubes, paper and plastic can smolder for hours, he cautions.
“Some people, you’ll see them tip them over and step on them, which again is a bad idea. You’ll see sparks come flying out of them as they step on them. That’s all the stuff that’s inside that’s still burning,” he says. Many July 4th calls involve fires from improperly disposed of fireworks.
What if a firework fails to go off? Leave it and stay away. It could still explode and injure someone. Let these and all spent fireworks sit ten minutes before handling.
“I hope everyone is safe this Fourth of July. If you’re going to be drinking alcohol, please don’t be the person doing the fireworks,” Karl says, “And just overall, use common sense and be safe.”