New Year’s Eve is a wonderful time to celebrate the start of a new year. And fireworks are a wonderful way of celebrating. However, fireworks and alcohol don’t mix! If you are at a party for New Year’s Eve where consumer fireworks are being shot, make sure that there is a designated shooter who has not been drinking any alcohol and that the fireworks are being used responsibly.
Nancy Blogin, President of the National Council on Fireworks Safety (www.fireworkssafety.org), notes: “Each New Year’s Eve, consumers are injured because their judgment has been impaired by beer, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Do not use fireworks after drinking any quantity of alcohol.”
Blogin also implores consumers to not use illegal explosives or professional fireworks. In 2015, she noted that there were serious injuries caused by consumers using illegal explosives and/or professional fireworks. Blogin cautions consumers to only purchase legal consumer fireworks from authorized stores or stands, and to never buy fireworks from individuals, or from vendors in back alleys or operating out of their house.
Blogin also challenges consumers to make a New Year’s resolution to educate themselves on the safe and responsible use of consumer fireworks and cites the following Safety Tips:
Only use fireworks outdoors free of overhead obstructions and away from dry grass or other flammable materials.
Obey all local laws regarding the use of fireworks.
Never give fireworks to young children.
Wear safety glasses when shooting fireworks.
Always have a bucket of water, and charged water hose, nearby.
Dispose of spent product by wetting it down and place it in a metal trash can away from any building or combustible materials until morning.
And remember, ALCOHOL AND FIREWORKS DON’T MIX!
