It is a familiar sight to see colorful fireworks decorate the sky on the Fourth of July as family and friends gather to celebrate the holiday. Considering the dry conditions in the region and general safety considerations, it is also a time of year to practice safety first.
The Rio Grande Valley, as it often does, finds itself in a unique situation due to dry conditions in the region making for fire hazards. In late spring and early summer, thousands of acres were burned in brush fires spanning from Brooks to Hidalgo counties.
Concerned about mishandling fireworks or igniting them in areas where conditions are primed for flames to spark, Hidalgo County Fire Marshal Homero Garza reminded residents on Friday that you can still celebrate Independence Day and enjoy a good show in the sky without risking a blaze.
“We don’t want to discourage them from having a good time on the Fourth of July or any other holiday when these pyrotechnics are being sold, but we do want them to be sure that there’s always adult supervision,” he said.
Garza said people should also be mindful not to handle fireworks while consuming alcohol or having alcohol in the vicinity, which he said is “always a factor.”
“And thirdly, we have been going through some dry conditions, fortunately for some of the towns — through towns, not so much in the rural areas — we have had some recent rain and that’s helped us along,” Garza prefaced. “Our concern is the rural areas out in ranches, so just be mindful that grass is dry and that does create a fuel. So they either (need to) have a water hose or some type of nozzle handy or even 5-gallon buckets of water handy, and if something does get out of control … call 911 and get the proper resources there in a hurry.”
He also recommended alternatives to igniting fireworks from home. Given the several fireworks displays local cities are holding throughout the Valley, Garza recommends attending one of these events.
Saying the prices of fireworks have increased “just like everything else,” Garza said he encourages residents to “enjoy a free fireworks show, and take a barbecue pit.”
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Then there are injuries. During the holiday the most common injury are hand injuries caused by fireworks. However, these are easily avoidable by doing the following:
>> only adults handle fireworks;
>> treat each firework like it is about to go off;
>> do not attempt to relight the firework if it does not go off;
>> and keep a bucket of water nearby.
