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.
June 4, 2011 was a devastating morning for buildings surrounding a vacant building at 816 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Over 100 firefighters fought a four-alarm fire that sent six to the hospital and torched neighboring businesses. Of the Prospect Heights businesses affected by the fire, two include a coffee shop and a cell phone retailer.
The Coffee Shop
Struggling to make ends meet, the young owner of the coffee shop thought she could save some money by not paying her commercial insurance bills. She discussed this option with her parents, from whom she sought advice, and they convinced her that this was a bad idea. She took their advice and paid the bills. While the damage to the coffee shop seemed minimal, the expenses to replace the windows the firefighters broke, the water damage clean up and the smoke damage and recoverycould have easily tanked this business if the owner did not have the proper insurance coverage to pay for the restoration services.
The Cell Phone Retailer
While it had the proper insurance coverage, the cell phone retail store suffered a massive amount of water damage, which poses a potential moldhazard. The building needs large-scale restoration and the owners do not know the status of their store’s structural integrity. Therefore, the owners do not know when they can open for business again. In an interview for the website Prospect Heights Patch, the shop owner stated, “It’s like you wake up one morning and you don’t have a business anymore. Devastated. That’s exactly how you feel. It’s a hardship, we have families, we have newborns to feed, and then you have to deal with this.”
What was missing for the cell phone storeowners was a business continuity plan—a plan that outlines how to keep a business going in an event such as this. Fires, water damage and natural disasters are among the top killers of small businesses when the owners do not have a plan to recoverbefore an incident occurs. While one cannot always prevent a disaster from happening, one can prevent the need to suffer through the hardships that may follow.
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.
In a press release today, FEMA announced that Kentucky business owners directly affected by the April 22 to May 20 storms, tornadoes and floods might be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). The DUA is a special unemployment compensation program for those who do not qualify for standard unemployment assistance through their state.
Assistance Eligibility
If you are a Kentucky business owner, in order to qualify, one of the following situations must apply to you:
You cannot run your business because of the floods, storms or tornadoes.
You cannot reach your business because of “disaster-related travel disruptions.”
You cannot work because you sustained a disaster-related injury.
You cannot operate your business or work because the storms damaged your building.
You live or own a business in one of the 17 Kentucky counties eligible for Individual Assistance through FEMA and the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.
Disaster Assistance Filing Dates
June 24, 2011: for Boyd, Crittenden, Graves, Hardin, Hickman, Jefferson, Marshall, McCracken, Livingston, Union and Webster counties
To be determined: for Ballard, Daviess, Henderson, Lawrence, McLean and Pike counties
FEMA states:
“Unemployment payments up to 26 weeks are available for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the storms and who don’t normally qualify for unemployment insurance benefits, such as farmers and self-employed individuals.
“Applications can be submitted at a local Office of Employment and Training. When filing a claim, self-employed individuals should bring a copy of their 2010 income tax return. Other applicants need a photo identification card and their Social Security number.
“Joint damage assessments continue in other counties and additional counties may be added for IA. Residents that suffered storm and flood related damage are encouraged to document and photo the damage and keep any repair receipts. Please report any damage to your local emergency management.”
Without a business continuity plan, a storm can shut down your operations for good if you are not prepared. Your continuity plan should also include what to do after a storm.
The Associate Press reports that the last month of twisters has already made 2011 the deadliest year regarding tornadoes in over five decades. What may be even more disturbing is that the tornado-affected areas have the highest rate of homes without homeowner’s insurance. Consequently, some of the families who need the most insurance-related assistance do not have it and will have a harder time recouping their losses. While the federal government is able to offer some assistance, the law limits the amount of assistance it can provide to $30,300 per household.
The Most Hazard-Prone
The federal government mandates the purchase of flood insurance in specific zones, but homeowner’s insurance is not. So far, the tornadoes have cost the lives of over 450 individuals and over a billion dollars in damage. The state of Mississippi has the second largest percentage of homes in the U.S. to not carry homeowner’s insurance that covers wind damage and is one of the top five states to have the most tornadoes touch the land in the last five years. Arkansas has the fourth largest percentage of uninsured homes in the U.S. and is number 10 in the list of states that are most tornado-prone. Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma are among the top 10 states to have the most tornadoes in the country, and have a high percentage of uninsured homes.
Not Insuring a Home ≠ Money Savings
The reason so many homes in the tornado-torn areas of the U.S. do not have homeowner’s insurance is because the owners no longer have a mortgage, so the banks do not require such coverage. When an individual owns a home and no longer has to make mortgage payments, the decision to purchase homeowners insurance is strictly personal. The AP report associates much of the lack of insurance on the high cost to insure older homes and the higher poverty levels. However, as many homeowners found out, going without homeowner’s insurance will not necessarily save you money in the future.
More than 100,000 households and individuals who are victims of the recent tornadoes are waiting to receive FEMA disaster assistance in order to have access to basic needs, temporary shelter and financial assistance for home repairs. A homeowner’s insurance policy helps provide the funds for hotel costs, meals, property replacement, to rebuild a home and general recovery from a storm. Insurance is a matter of risk, and the question begs: Is it worth foregoing the purchase of insurance in order to save money in the present? The decision is strictly personal.
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.
