WEB SITE EXCLUSIVE

Firefighters warn: Be careful with fireworks

By TIM GULLA
Ledger Staff Writer
tim@gaffneyledger.com

Everyone knows fireworks can be dangerous if handled improperly, but many tend to think of firecrackers and bottle rockets as the worst culprits.
Even the most innocuous fireworks can cause physical harm and damage.
With the assistance of the Gaffney Fire Department and Richard Duckett, who  donated a few fireworks in the interests of a public safety project, The Gaffney Ledger wanted to find out more about some of those dangers and offer warnings where appropriate.
While Gaffney Fire Chief Nathan Ellis knew what would result from some of the tests, the results could be surprising to the uninitiated.
Case in point number one: A simple sparkler burns hot enough to slice through an aluminum can and can easily set clothing on fire.
Case in point number two: You have to keep sources of ignition, like sparkers, away from other fireworks or the results potentially can be catastrophic. 
Case in point number three: Conditions in Cherokee County are so dry right now that, even under a controlled setting with experienced firefighters keeping watch with safety equipment at the ready, one test sparked a small grass fire roughly 30 feet from the test area behind the East Gaffney Fire Station.
What would happen if no one was keeping watch?
While the firefighters were able to laugh a little about some test results, they all knew about the possibilities of what could happen on the Fourth of July, when so many people reach for fireworks to celebrate Independence.
"If you use them like they're intended to be used, they can be safe and pretty entertaining," Ellis said. "If you are careless with them, or use them inappropriately, they can be dangerous."
Available records show the results can be very serious.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, a clearinghouse of insurance industry data, 16 people were killed and an estimated 8,500 people were injured in 1999 by fireworks. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, meanwhile, estimates that roughly 80,000 people have been injured by fireworks in the United States since 1999.
Property damage is another matter.
Last week alone, one Gaffney City resident's home sustained an estimated $1,000 in damage when a firework struck and melted a hole in her siding. The Gaffney Police Department, meanwhile, is investigating another incident in which a teenager threw fireworks into an apartment, causing about $200 in door damage.
No one was injured in either case, but the possibility remained.
According to a report from the National Council on Fireworks Safety, a fireworks industry safety group, the U.S. Consumer Safety data shows 16 percent of all consumer fireworks injuries are caused by sparklers burning hands or legs while sparklers accounted for one-third of all firework injuries to children 5 years old and younger.
That's why the National Council on Fireworks Safety says that close adult supervision is needed at all times, even around simple fireworks like sparklers. The safety group says you should always remain standing when you're using sparklers, and stay at least six feet from other people. Also, the group says you should never hold a child in your arms when you're using them, that you should never throw sparkers, and that the metal wire sticks can remain very hot for some time, so douse them in a bucket.
Also, the safety group warns that you should avoid homemade fireworks and those lawful only for professionals, which are designated "1.3G." Consumer fireworks regulated by the Consumer Products Safety Commission are packaged in bright colors, have safety warnings, and contain the country of origin, according to the safety group.
Chief Ellis advises that people should keep an eye on the weather during the Fourth of July, too.
"It's been a few weeks since we had a good rain," he said. "The humidity is low and the winds are high. The weather is right for grass fires and woods fires."
Ellis said anyone using fireworks should have a bucket of water or water hose nearby and that they should keep an eye on the area where fireworks debris falls. Aim them away from people, structures, vehicles or other people's property, he added.