The 4th of July is one of my family’s favorite holidays. Everyone loves picnics, sunshine, barbecues, games and, of course, fireworks!
Unfortunately, it’s also the holiday with the most fires, and injuries from fires. The worst part is that many children are the ones being injured in these fires. Lack of supervision, preparation and illegal fireworks are greatly to blame for these injuries. Sunburns and food poisoning can also ruin your holiday. Drunk driving is a danger for travelers; make sure to designate a driver if you’re going to drink.
Animal safety should also be considered, since many festive foods and products can be hazardous to your animal’s health. A link to holiday safety tips from the ASPCA is provided below.
For humans, I’ve put together this list of tips to help keep you safe and happy on the 4th of July.
✰ Use sunscreen! Reapply as needed to avoid burns. Make sure children are properly protected against the sun by using sunscreen and hats.
✰ Keep an eye on your children. Don’t assume that someone is keeping an eye on them for you. Purchase an Angel Alert distance monitor for added security.
✰ Keep perishable foods protected from the sun. Mayonnaise can go bad very quickly if not kept cool. You don’t want to go home early with stomach issues.
✰ Alcohol is a favorite of many for the holiday celebrations. However, it is important to keep alcohol away from children and animals. There is a potential risk of alcohol poisoning if consumed by a child or animal.
✰ Designate a driver if you’ve been drinking, and DON’T handle fireworks.
✰ Make sure to hydrate with water, especially if you’ve spent the day in the sun, or have been drinking alcohol.
✰ Do NOT fire guns into the air! The bullets will come back down somewhere!
✰ At parks or festivals, keep an eye on your purses and wallets.
✰ Use only legal fireworks. The following are illegal and dangerous:
Large firecrackers
Cherry bombs
M-80 salutes
Ariel bombs
Large re-loadable mortar shells
✰ Have a fire extinguisher readily available. This way if there was an accidental fire, the fire can be put out quickly.
✰ Have water buckets and a hose available. This is also important in the case that a fire becomes larger than a small extinguisher can take care of.
✰ Some decorations have smaller parts, or dangerous chemicals. This is another area that can be dangerous to small children and animals. If there is going to be small children and animals around, it is important to make sure that the decorations are safe in the lower areas.
✰ When you are disposing of 4th of July decorations and fireworks, make sure that they are completely free of heat and fire. This way there will not be a smoldering fire happening after the party is over.
✰ When you decorate the area that you will be setting off fireworks, it is important to make sure that the decorations are a safe distance from the actual fireworks. This should be a roped off area, that is away from children.
✰ Make sure that the area you are lighting fireworks off is also free of bushes, dry grass, trees, streamers, balloons, flammable helium, and other fire hazardous materials.
✰ Safety includes removing small pieces of balloons, fireworks, and other items that are able to choke small children. The main thing about decorations that is dangerous to small children is either chocking, or being strangled by them.
✰ Do not try to re-light or “fix” fireworks.
✰ Bird safety is also important when it comes to 4th of July decorations. They end up eating the decorations, getting caught in them or getting hurt. If you have a family bird, or even if you want to consider the safety of a wild bird, keep in mind that the bright colors of red, white and blue will attract a bird as a chew toy.
For Animals:
Fourth of July Safety Tips For Animals
Be safe, and have a happy Independence Day!
Tags: Fireworks, Fourth of July, Holiday, July 4th
