DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — The time is here for fireworks to light up the sky for the Fourth of July.
While some people are going to watch firework shows put on by professionals, others are going to put on their own show in their backyards.
“We said we need some fireworks for the Fourth of July, we’re going to have a big celebration,” said Steve Fappas of Wyandotte.
Steve Fappas stopped by Exotic Fireworks in Dearborn Heights on Sunday to stock up for his at home fireworks show.
“It’ll be at my brother’s, so he’s in Belleville, he’s got a little more space, it’s not going to freak everybody out in the neighborhood,” said Fappas.
Speaking of having a lot space, that’s one of the major things recommended when it comes to at home fireworks.
“Just make sure if you’re going to do fireworks at your home that you’re going to look to make sure there’s no trees in the way or power lines that’s like two of the main things,” said Patrick Mifsud, co-owner of Exotic Fireworks.
Patrick Mifsud is the co-owner of Exotic Fireworks.
Another safety tip he recommends is having a bucket of water and a fire extinguisher near by as your setting off the fireworks.
“So what happens with a bucket of water you need to douse that out after it goes up in the air don’t pick it up, just douse it with water, a lot of time, it will be smoking, you’ll see it smoking and if you threw that in the garbage can near your house… we’ve seen and heard from our customers where it’s caught on fire,” said Mifsud.
When it comes to kids and fireworks, Mifsud said this.
“People always think people can play with the sparklers but they can reach like 1,200 degrees,” said Mifsud. “It’s the most common because everyone thinks the kids will be ok but it’s the hottest thing and if kids don’t touch it right, they get burned and actually sparklers is one of the major problems with fireworks.”
According to a report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, teenagers ages 15 to 19-years-old had the highest estimated rate of reported fireworks related injuries.
Kids 5 to 9-years-old had the second highest rate.
As for Steve Fappas, he says making sure he and his family are safe during the fireworks show is his top priority.
“One thing we do is we kind of set up the show ahead of time and say how long does this go how far away are we from the family and were people are setting up and how big is the stuff that we are getting to make sure it’s safe and still fun to watch,” said Fappas.
Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to safety, do not drink or do drugs while using the fireworks.
