Tomorrow, the statewide legalization of the sale and use of fireworks will take effect, and firefighters are taking the opportunity to remind people about the dangers involved with them.

According to Perry Fire Chief Chris Hinds, the Iowa Firefighters Association has resisted fireworks legislation for several years. He says the potential hazards were too great to ignore. “You think about fireworks and the Fourth of July, and it’s just celebrating and having a good time. But the other side of that, the side that people don’t often think of or that they don’t realize, is the dangers of fireworks. Especially in the hands of small children. You know, you light the fuse and it goes bang, and you think, ‘Oh, that was fun, and it didn’t hurt anything.’ But a small firecracker, even in the hands of a small child, is something that could disfigure that hand or render it useless for that child for the rest of their life.”

In addition to potential injuries, Hinds says there is always the potential of fireworks causing grass and structure fires that can quickly get out of control. In spite of the concerns firefighters have expressed about legalized fireworks, the legislature did pass the law. So with that in mind, Hinds offers safety tips for people who choose to shoot them.

“The best thing is to be well supervised. Use it in wide-open spaces, don’t try and hide around the corner of your house or something like that to do these things. Get out in wide open space, so if anything goes wrong, you’re not up against a building or something that is potentially a fire hazard.”

Additionally, he says to keep what you’re not shooting away from anything you are, so you can avoid accidentally setting off everything at once. To hear more about fireworks safety, listen to last Thursday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.