Fireworks best left to the pros

It’s a simple message, but one that firefighters in the Falls and across New York state say needs to be repeated every Fourth of July.

Fireworks may be fun to watch, but they shouldn’t be in the hands of anyone who isn’t trained in using
them.

“Number one, it’s illegal for someone (who isn’t licensed) to have fireworks and you can be arrested,”
Falls Fire Chief Tom Colangelo said. “And the fireworks would be seized. So you should just leave it to the professionals.”

That message is echoed by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York. The group notes that
more fires are reported on July 4 in the U.S. than any other day of the year.

“Leave the fireworks to the professionals and attend a locally-sponsored display in your neighborhood,”
FASNY President Jim Burns said. “Attending public fireworks displays is the safest way
to celebrate the Fourth of July.”

Burns said families should be aware of the risks associated with the unlicensed use of fireworks. The
National Fire Protection Association reports that “thousands of people are injured while using
consumer fireworks every July 4 holiday.”

And the risk of injury is two-and-a-half times higher for children between the ages of 10 and 14 as it is for adults. “The effects (of a fireworks related injury) can be devastating,” Colangelo said.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that, in 2012, six people were killed in
accidents involving either professional-grade, homemade or banned firework devices. Additionally, the
CPSC said an estimated 8,700 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related
injuries.

Included in that total were about 1,000 injuries involved sparklers and bottle rockets, fireworks that
are frequently considered safe for young children.

Burns pointed out that the tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of more than 1,200 degrees
Fahrenheit. That is hot enough to cause third-degree burns.