One of the year’s most colorful holidays is just around the corner and the Texoma area offers a plethora of ways to celebrate the 4th of July. From rodeos to fireworks show to fishing trips and pool dives, there is something for just about everyone.
Grayson County Fire Marshall John Weda advises people to keep safety in mind if they are going to be dealing with fireworks.
“We always recommend that you don’t allow young children to handle fireworks,” Weda said recently. If you do let youngsters, even older ones, make sure there is adult supervision.
“You never want to use fireworks if you are impaired from alcohol or drugs and you should always follow the instructions on the packaging,” he added.
Additionally, he said, people should make sure they are only using legally sold fireworks in an area where it is us legal to set off fireworks. Most cities and towns prohibit the use of fireworks in their city limits.
There are no such restrictions in the unincorporated areas of the county, but there are rules to be followed there.
For starters, he said, it is illegal to set fireworks off on a public road even in the unincorporated areas of the county.
Then, he said, people need to know that they must have a property owner’s permission to be on private property and to set off fireworks.
Make sure that fireworks are not pointed toward anyone when they go off and that everyone is watching from a safe distance.
Light one firework at a time.
Always have a water source at hand either with a hose or a few five-gallon buckets of water.
“If you have fireworks that you light that don’t go off, if it’s like a dud, just let it sit there for 15 to 20 minutes before you handle it. Then, you want to soak that in water. You don’t want to just leave it or try to pick it up and relight it,” he said.
And people need to know that if their fireworks damage someone’s property, the person who owned the fireworks can be held civilly responsible for that damage.
“Fireworks are dangerous. They’re nice, they’re fun but we always recommend that people save their money and just go to a fireworks show. Let the people that know what they’re doing do it and go watch their show,” Weda said.
