ARKANSAS, USA — Fireworks are an independence day tradition, dating nearly as far back as our country’s beginning in 1776. Although fireworks can be beautiful and fun, they can also be dangerous if not used correctly.
"The fourth of July does bring a little bit more business to the area. It's just a simple fact that people are getting out and about and they want to go see the festivities and everything that's going on around them in the city," said Rogers Fire Batallion Chief Dusty Qualls.
While most people are celebrating the holiday, first responders are all hands on deck because of the high number of emergencies caused by firework-related injuries.
"We may even have a grass fire or two from the sparks and everything," Qualls said.
Last year, our area had very dry conditions on the Fourth of July, which caused several grass fires, but Qualls says this past weekend there was a wide variety of emergencies.
"So with the holiday weekend, we experienced some calls centered around heat exhaustion...." said Qualls.
To keep everyone safe, the Rogers fire department made sure to call in extra brush units to help prepare for the holiday.
"We brought in some overtime and extra companies to man the brush units. So those guys will be manning those 24/7 during those time periods," Qualls said.
Fayetteville police are also geared up for the holiday week to make sure everyone is staying on the roads when it comes to lighting fireworks.
"So in 2022, there were approximately 10,000 people that visited the emergency rooms across the United States because of fireworks-related injuries, and 11 people were killed because of fireworks. So we just tell people to be extremely careful," Sargent Murphy recalled.
Fayetteville police say when lighting fireworks, you should not consume alcohol, and if you're lighting fireworks, there is an age limit.
"Alcohol impairs your judgment and a lot of people become more daring when it comes to lighting those fireworks off. If you're under the age of 16, you need someone that's 21 years of age or older to supervise while you're lighting these fireworks," Murphy said.
Before you light fireworks, first responders have a few reminders when doing so:
"Make sure they're not close to the structure, make sure people are far enough away and have a bucket of water out, and never ever try to light a malfunctioning firework if it didn't like the first time," Qualls said.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.