This July 4, Don't Be Like These Dummies: How Not To Set Off Fireworks

Fireworks are dangerous. They are literally explosives. They are things designed to burn extremely fast and/or blow up.

And this week Americans are going to buy them, they're going to drink a lot of beer and then they're going to set those explosives on fire.

The CPSC can't stop us from doing any of that. But it has some requests:

Can we please stick to legal, consumer-grade fireworks? And stop trying to make them ourselves?

Could we stop pointing fireworks at other people?

Could we step away from the fireworks after we light them on fire? And, if they malfunction, could we avoid walking back toward them and sticking our faces directly over them?

Can we stop giving sparklers, which burn at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, to small children?

Could we please, please, please not light fireworks off the tops of our heads? Read More

Some additional firework safety tips. Do not set off fireworks, especially rockets, close to houses, heavy brush, tall grass, or wooded areas. With the heat wave through which many parts of the country is going, brush, grass, and trees will be very dry and combustible. They are a serious fire-hazard. Setting off fireworks in close proximity to them can cause a fire that results in the damage or destruction of property and the loss of lives--human, pets,  livestock, and wildlife. It only takes  a few sparks to start a fire. Even a smoldering punk that is dropped by accident or the hot casing of a firework that has already exploded can cause a fire.  If you are camping or living in an area prone to brush, grass, and/or forest fires, and there is a no burn order in place, please respect it. No burn orders include setting off fireworks as well as lighting camp fires and burning trash. I know from experience that shooting off rockets near houses and other buildings carries with it a high risk of setting a building on fire. Rockets can come down on a roof. When they hit the roof, they are still hot. A rocket came down on my neighbor's house and set fire to the pine needles that had accumulated on his roof. Fortunately we were able to extinguish the fire before it became a major blaze. It is best to shoot off rockets and similar fireworks over a body of water.