A friendly reminder to practice fireworks safety

During last year’s Fourth of July celebrations more than 13,000 Americans reported to emergency rooms across the country due to fireworks-related injuries. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, that number was down from over 14,700 in 2024.

How many people lost fingers, or worse, in backyard explosions is unknown. I don’t think there is a commission that keeps up with that. At least not publicly. You can assume around 1,700, if my math is correct.

With the United States’ 250th birthday approaching, it’s a safe bet that more people will be enjoying amateur pyrotechnics this year than in a long time. And why not? Few things celebrate freedom quite like turning your backyard into southern Lebanon with colorful blasts of gunpowder.

That’s a topical geopolitical joke. Try to keep up.

I can remember when fireworks were illegal in Georgia. To get your hands on a Roman candle or a string of firecrackers you had to sneak them back from a family vacation or have a shady uncle who frequently visited the state line and came back with what were essentially little sticks of dynamite.

Now you can get them anywhere. I was buying a gallon of milk the other day and right next to the checkout line, adjacent to the candy, chewing gum and other impulse buys was a display case full of colorfully packaged explosives.

We can thank the ancient Chinese for the invention of fireworks. Dating back to the Song Dynasty, firework technicians would pack gunpowder into bamboo tubes. It was not long before they discovered that adding powdered chemicals would produce colorful blasts of light.

These pyrotechnicians of old were highly revered members of society. Their wares were sought-after commodities used in festivals and religious ceremonies. Now we’ve got Geech and Skeeter, not a full hand of digits or complete set of teeth between ‘em, all rockets red glare at all hours of the night for any ol’ excuse.

Don’t get me wrong, I love fireworks and I think our Founding Fathers would want us to have access to them. Besides, fireworks were a part of the very first Independence Day celebration in 1777, one year after the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. But like many things, excess has taken the magic out of fireworks.

Few large tourist attractions do not include a nightly fireworks display; most major sporting events have celebratory explosions. They are a common sighting from small towns to mega metropolitan areas. Fireworks displays are much like parades: If you have seen one, you’ve seen them all.

We don’t shoot off many fireworks in my family these days. We have too many dogs, and most dogs come pre-installed with PTSD. Loud noises make them cower or act rashly, like they are having flashbacks from ‘Nam.

If you’re going to celebrate this Fourth of July with a personal fireworks extravaganza, please do so safely. Secure your pets, stop at a reasonable hour and keep some ice handy.

You know, for when you blow your finger off.