Take precautions as you light up fireworks this week

With the Fourth of July holiday comes fireworks, so if you plan on playing with any pyrotechnics this week make sure you are doing so safely.

“Make sure you’re away from buildings, vehicles, things like that,” said Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane. “Make sure you have some water available. Make sure that only adults, grown-ups are lighting the fireworks, not children.”

Make sure you are properly lighting fireworks on a flat surface. Never try to re-light a “dud” firework, and make sure used fireworks and debris has cooled down before disposing of it.

Remember to keep an eye on the kids during fireworks season.

“The tip of a sparkler is about 1,200 degrees,” Crane said. “Glass melts at 900 degrees, so think about that before you hand a child a sparkler to run around with. That’s a lot of heat.”

The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to leave it to the professionals.

“We in the fire service, we recommend just watching a professional display,” Crane said. “There’s a lot of those that are put on, and they’re very good. Usually they’re put on during another event, so there’s other activities for everybody to do.”

Check with your local municipality on what hours fireworks are allowed.