Fourth of July fireworks can turn a fun-filled celebration into a painful memory if you do not exercise caution. Even the most innocent-looking fireworks can cause injury or a fire. For example, a sparkler can reach 1,800° F, a temperature hot enough to melt gold. Keep reading to learn firework tips and facts to help keep your Independence Day celebration safe and legal.
Firework Facts
In the state of Arizona, residents are only allowed to purchase “novelty fireworks” such as snakes, party poppers, ground spinners and fountains. Sparklers are not considered a novelty firework.
The following states only allow consumers to purchase sparklers and novelty fireworks: Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Ohio and Vermont.
The following states ban all types of consumer fireworks: Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
The states not previously mentioned allow the use of Class C consumer fireworks, as permitted by law, which may include rockets, Roman candles, mortars, tube devices, sparklers, rockets, snakes, fountains, party poppers and firecrackers containing no more than 50 milligrams of powder.
Keep a bucket of water nearby when lighting fireworks. Soak fireworks that you lit or those that are duds.
Do not light fireworks in a container, especially those made of glass or metal.
Follow the packaging instructions for firework storage. Otherwise, store them in a cool, dry place.
Always require adult supervision when children are around fireworks.
Do not hold fireworks in your hand as you ignite them.
Do not try to relight fireworks that malfunction.
Ignite fireworks a safe distance from your home.
Make sure your pets are in a safe place before lighting fireworks because the noise can scare them.
Remember this Independence Day: playing it safe with fireworks is more fun than being in the emergency room because of a preventable injury or seeing your house go up in flames.
Rising temperatures and dry conditions are the perfect ingredients for summer wildfires. While they seem more common in the western parts of the U.S., a wildfire can occur in any forested area of the country. Public service announcements on TV talk about preventing forest fires, but information about what to do in the event of a wildfire is not well known. As the weather grows warmer, keep the following tips in mind regarding wildfires.
Wildfires: What to Do
Prepare your family: Create an emergency disaster kitand plan where you would go if a wildfire caused you to evacuate. Think of more than one route to get to your evacuation destination as a wildfire may cause roads to close.
Prepare your home to in advance: During the summer, keep the plants surrounding your home pruned and well watered. Healthy plants around your home can help protect it from burning; dry plants fuel a fire. Additionally, make sure your irreplaceable items are in a fireproof location (like a safety deposit box) and that you have copies of important documents and cherished photographs in a location other than your home.
Keep all combustible away from your home, including propane tanks you use for your grill.
Call the fire department: If you see a wildfire, do not assume the fire department knows about it; you may be the first person to report the event.
Follow all evacuation orders: Staying in your home will not save it from a wildfire.
Plan to recover: Even the most prepared individuals can get caught off-guard. Keep the number of a disaster restoration company in your list of emergency contacts. They can help you recover from smoke damage, restore wet books and recover damaged documents.
Contractors across the U.S. face a new rule and new expense—mandatory home sprinkler systems. The Florida Wires reports that some states now require homes built after January 1, 2011 to have sprinkler systems. This poses a burden on the home construction industry, which is down more than 90 percent in some states, such as Connecticut. Contractors argue this safety feature should be voluntary.
International Code Council Reasoning
The International Code Council states that the new regulation applies to homes and townhouses that are fewer than three stories high. The rule is an attempt to be proactive. The Florida Wires article reports that, according to the Insurance Institute, 2,100 people died in one- and two- story homes in 2009, and 9,300 house fire-related injuries were reported. Mandatory sprinkler systems help wet combustible materials, thereby benefiting the elderly, disabled and children who may not be able to escape a fire quickly.
Home Builder Resistance
Home contractors argue that, unlike smoke alarms, studies have not proved that sprinkler systems improve the safety of a home. Moreover, a sprinkler system could raise the cost to build a home by up to $10,000. Many contractors fear that a home with a sprinkler system will look less attractive to prospective homeowners because of the unfounded fear that the sprinklers will go off by accident. Building sprinkler systems are notoriously known to cause enormous amounts of water damage within homes and offices, often by causing damage to electronic equipment, carpet and furniture.
The issue regarding the cost of home safety will continue to be a debated topic. Fortunately, there are disaster restoration services available to help business and homeowners who have experienced water damage from a sprinkler system. Services offered include the recovery ofwet documentsand the proper drying ofwet books and photographs. However, regardless of the safety features a home may have, families still need to practice fire safety techniques to prevent fires, as well as create a stay-safe plan in the event a fire breaks out in the home.
The traditional method to fight fires is with water, special foams, powders and other chemical substances. Harvard University’s Whitesides Research Group, however, have created a “wand” that harnesses the power of electric fields to control flames. This new technology could help reduce the environmental threats and water damage caused by traditional flame tamers.
How it Works
National Geographicreports the wand is a thin wire connected to a 600-watt amplifier plugged into the wall. The amplifier is about the size of a file cabinet and has the power of a high-end car stereo. The wand creates the electric field necessary—a million volts per meter—to create a spark in dry air, but the frequency is not enough to pose dangers to healthy individuals. Harvard researchers found that when they brought the wand close to 20-inch, thin flames, the flames disappeared almost instantly. Future smaller versions of the wand device will use a tenth of the wattage, be more portable and would create the same results.
The Science behind the Magic
Flames contain ions, soot and electrons that react to electric fields. Because of this, the wand uses electricity to detach the flames away from its fuel source. The science behind this recent discovery involving electricity has scientists working on a way to suppress wider fires and those that are farther away by changing the shape of the voltage, frequency and electric current in the wand. While the wand is not the answer for fighting all fires, like wildfires, there is a possibility that future versions could allow firefighters to carry power sources in a backpack that attach to a wand, or buildings and ships could have a similar feature in their ceilings.
In the Meantime
The promise of new technology does not mean individuals can ignore traditional fire-safety prevention methods. It is still the responsibility of home and business owners to take measures to ensure the safety of those in the home or office.
Spring officially starts in less than a month, but you wouldn’t know from by looking at the weather across the U.S. and reading predicted forecasts.
Northwest
Snow is falling over parts of the Northwest and northern Rockies that generally do not see snow this late in the winter season. For example, the forecast predicts up to four inches of snowfall in the Seattle, WA and Portland, OR area. Residents in the Northwest are going to have to put off their spring-cleaning for another day and, in the mean time, make sure their plumbing is insulated well to prevent burst pipes and water damage.
South
As the South battles wildfires with their neighboring Eastern states, The Weather Channel predicts a severe storm outbreak in the Dixie Valley—parts of the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley. Meteorologist Dr. Greg Forbes expects the storms to begin as early as Thursday. Residents in this area can expect to see floods, large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
Those living in this area should prepare emergency disaster kits that contain the phone numbers of their insurance agents and a restorationspecialist. Residents should also be ready to evacuate their homes if directed by emergency personnel.
East
Not getting any breaks from Mother Nature, the Eastern states continue to battle wildfires. Residents are on alert in many communities, and are prepared to evacuate their homes. The low humidity and winds continue to fuel the fires, and this is not expected to change in the immediate future. Like those in the South, residents who are a wildfire should prepare an emergency disaster kit. Learn how to prepare for fire damage.
Fourth of July fireworks can turn a fun-filled celebration into a painful memory if you do not exercise caution. Even the most innocent-looking fireworks can cause injury or a fire. For example, a sparkler can reach 1,800° F, a temperature hot enough to melt gold. Keep reading to learn firework tips and facts to help keep your Independence Day celebration safe and legal.
