Fireworks stands across the country have opened up ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. Though the holiday is still 10 days away, Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson said his department typically works “several hundred” calls pertaining to fireworks in the week before and the week after Independence Day.

Shooting off fireworks inside the city limits is against the law, and Johnson said some people are unaware of the rule while others simply don’t care.

“We generally leave it up to the officer’s discretion, but what we typically do is warn people first, and after that (for any further calls), we will write a citation and seize the fireworks,” Johnson said. “We’ve written several a year for the past several years during holidays. Most of our calls come after 8 or 9 p.m. when people are going to bed, and it gets worse on the actual holiday.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a minimum of 12 people were killed and an estimated 10,000 were injured due to fireworks mishaps in 2019, the latest year with figures available.

Johnson said fireworks have been responsible for serious injuries and even death here in Athens. He said he worked a case several years back in which a young man was killed by a firework going off.

“We encourage everybody to be extremely careful with fireworks,” Johnson said. “You think that kind of stuff doesn’t happen here, but it does. Fireworks can be very dangerous. We want everyone to enjoy the holidays, just treat them with care.”

Fireworks safety

The CPSC lists the following tips to help people celebrate the Fourth of July safely with fireworks:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks;

• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper, because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers;

• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Young children can suffer injuries from sparklers, which burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees — hot enough to melt some metals;

• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks;

• Never try to relight or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully;

• Never point or throw fireworks at another person;

• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap;

• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly;

• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers;

• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire; and

• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.