ARKANSAS, USA — Fire Safety officials are reminding residents to keep safety in mind this Independence Day weekend.
Rogers fire chief Tom Jenkins explained that the Fire department receives calls responding to firework incidents every year.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were an estimated 11,500 emergency room treated injuries involving fireworks in 2021.
“We've seen rockets and things landing garages that are full of lawnmowers and gas cans and so we’ve seen some pretty close calls we’ve seen a few small fires, we’ve seen plenty of injuries”
Chief Jenkins also advised against children getting involved in the fireworks festivities. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Sparklers can reach temperatures of up to around 2000°F.
“It’s not uncommon for children to be the most common demographic that suffers burn injuries from fireworks, so we don’t want that," said Chief Jenkins
The Rogers fire chief also said that public roads should not be used as fireworks launchpads. Instead, he suggested a couple of factors when choosing a location.
“On a surface that's non-flammable, to do it away from things, that they shut those garage doors in case something was to get knocked over," said chief Jenkins. "There’s a whole lot of variables that go into what makes an area safe and if people just have to use common sense and they have to know what kind of firework they’re dealing with.”
Chief Jenkins also suggests keeping nearby a water hose, Fire extinguisher, and a bucket of water.
“Probably makes sense to have something to put out a fire in case something gets knocked over," said Chief Jenkins. "In case a projectile land somewhere nearby that causes a small fire.”
The Rogers fire chief says that with all the variables considered, the safest thing to do is to attend a public fireworks display. You can find those events here. For those looking to put on their own, he suggests you follow your city's Firework ordinance.
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