Summer is synonymous with barbecues, parades and fireworks. The Geneva Fire Department advises everyone to enjoy fireworks at public displays conducted by professionals and not to use any fireworks at home.

Fireworks are often used to mark special events and holidays. The only safe way to view fireworks is to attend a professional show. It is important to know that fireworks are not safe in the hands of consumers. Fireworks cause thousands of injuries each year.

Fireworks Facts

• More than 19,500 reported fires are started by fireworks annually.
• Burns account for 44% of the 9,100 injuries treated in emergency rooms seen in the month around July 4.
• Half of the fireworks injuries seen at emergency rooms were extremities: hand, finger, or leg. One-third were to the eye or other parts of the head.
• Children ages 10–14 had the highest rate of fireworks injury, with more than one-third (36%) of the victims of fireworks injuries under age 15.
• Sparklers account for roughly one-quarter of emergency room fireworks injuries.

Other Safety Tips

There are no kinds of fireworks that are legal in Illinois.

While items such as sparklers, some small-cap guns, snake or glow worm pellets, smoke devices; trick noisemakers (known as party poppers), snappers, and trick matches are legal, many of these devices can burn extremely hot. Adults should always provide supervision, and these devices should not be used by young children. Even sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees.

Other safety tips include:

• Allow plenty of space after lighting the fuse;
• Never relight or pick up a device that has not fully ignited;
• Light a firecracker one at a time;
• After firecrackers complete their burning, douse the spent device with water.

Thank you and have a safe Independence Day and summer.

Mike Antenore

Fire Chief