Ridgefield Firefighters Warn on Fireworks Use

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The town's professional firefighters are warning residents about the dangers of setting off their own fireworks.

Ridgefield Professional Firefighters Local 1739 have assembled the following safety checklist:

• Make sure your fireworks are legal. Only buy from licensed local dealers
• Only adults should light fireworks – never children
• Closely supervise children around fireworks
• Wear eye protection while lighting fireworks
• Always point fireworks away from people and buildings
• Only light one firework at a time
• Never stand over a firework
• Keep a bucket of water close by
• Never re-light a dud
• Soak used fireworks in water before throwing them in the trash
• Use bricks or cinder blocks to stabilize mortar launches

Although you might guess that most fireworks-related injuries result from illegal firecrackers, it's actually the all-American sparkler that EMS crews hate the most. According to the National Fire Protection Association. sparklers account for more than a quarter of emergency room fireworks injuries in 2014.