Enjoy A Safe 4th of July!

2019-07-03
By: Denise Koslowsky

As Americans gather together to celebrate our country’s birthday, Advocate Brokerage would like to offer you some tips for enjoying a safe holiday weekend!

When you think of the 4^th of July, chances are an image of fireworks pops into your head.  Until recently the sale and use of all types of fireworks and sparkling devices were illegal in New York State but as of last year the laws have changed.

While the use of fireworks (which includes firecrackers, bottle rockets, roman candles, spinners, and other aerial fireworks) are still illegal, you are permitted to use sparkling devices.  So what are sparkling devices?  These are the novelty fireworks and include sparkling fountains, sparklers on wooden sticks, but not metal sticks, smoking devices, snakes, confetti-filled party poppers, and paper-wrapped snappers.

 

Firework Related Injuries

Fireworks make 4^th of July celebrations more memorable but you need to be sure you are taking steps to keep everyone safe.  In the month surrounding July 4^th, 200 people are taken to the ER every day with firework-related injuries.  Children under 15 account for 40% of the firework-related injuries!

 

Our best advice?
Leave the fireworks to the professionals. There is no shortage of firework celebrations at this time of year.  So we encourage you to sit back, relax & let professionals handle it!

If however, you feel that your celebration of Independence Day will not be the same without some fireworks fun, below are a few thoughts we would like you to keep in mind:

• Have a fire extinguisher handy so you can take care of any fires right away.
• Don’t let your kids play with fireworks, even sparklers which most people see as harmless can burn as hot as 1000 degrees!
• If one of your novelty fireworks fails to ignite, please don’t try to re-light it.  It could be faulty and post a greater risk of injury.
• Be sure you light them in a place that free of low hanging tree limbs, tall grass or other types of greenery.
• If you are near your home, be sure your gutters are clear.  One spark flying into a gutter that is filled with dry leaves could create quite a disaster.

 

Happy 4^th of July from all of us here at Advocate! Enjoy a safe and festive holiday.