Firework safety amidst drought: what to know

Salisbury, Md. – Fireworks season is in full swing, and Salisbury Fire Department officials and local fireworks sellers share best practices on how to utilize them safely.

Norman Aryes a representative of TNT fireworks has three different locations in Salisbury. When it comes to safety, they have to be taken seriously.

“However, these particular fireworks that we sell out here, you don’t really have to worry about them exploding or doing anything drastic on like that,” he said.

Aryes said it’s very important to set them off on a blacktop or other level non-flammable surface, which is what Salisbury Deputy Fire Marshal Robert Horsman says is essential since Delmarva is still in a drought, despite recent rain.

“With the drought, the grass is dry. If sparks — even handheld sparklers, they burn in excess of 1200 degrees Fahrenheit — so you get burns if you’re holding them,” Horsman said. “Or they can catch grass on fire or anything that’s flammable around.”

He said it is imperative to keep a bucket of water or a hose readily available to “extinguish anything.”

Horsman also said that for those planning to set off fireworks in Maryland, they must buy them in the state.

“Make sure you’re buying them from a tent that’s in Maryland,” he said. “Because those have all been approved and inspected either by a local fire marshal or the state fire marshal.”

However, Horsman did warn against using “bottle rockets.”

“Don’t use those,” he said. “Not only are they dangerous, but they’re also illegal. You could face criminal charges if you’re using those.”

Keystone Novelties Distributors President Maxwell Bushong said everything Keystone sells out of their tents in Maryland are considered  “a ground-based sparkler or novelty device, which means that nothing that we sell actually leaves the ground and explodes in the air.”

“So, the nature of our products is inherently much safer, for lack of a better term, because the amount of pyrotechnic composition within ground-based sparklers and novelties is far less than aerial devices,” he said. “But it’s so important to keep in mind, you know, safety is of the utmost importance. These are items that are flammable.”

Bushong added that they should still be set off at an appropriate distance away from a residence and should not be set off in the middle of the road.

Horsman, Aryes and Bushong all said it was imperative that parents supervise their children at all times, even with sparklers.

“[Sparklers] burn in excess of 1200 degrees,” Horsman said. “So, if they grab that or it falls on the skin, it’s going to burn them severely. Which is going to entail an ambulance ride, trip to the hospital, maybe a trip to the burn center.”

But Horsman said that if community members are in doubt about safety, they should leave it to the professionals.

“Ultimately, you can be really safe by going to one of the numerous professional displays that are going to be in and around the area,” he said.