GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With the arrival of the Fourth of July holiday weekend everyone is ramping up to light off fireworks.
Kent County Police Captain Joel Roon spoke with 13 ON YOUR SIDE to explain the laws and best practices we can all follow as we celebrate.
Captain Roon shared five tips to make sure you are enjoying fireworks responsibly:
- Fireworks are allowed between June 29 and July 5, but only until 11:45 pm. After that time Roon says they need to be shut down.
- Fireworks are restricted on public property. So while the nearby public parking lot might seem like a safe place to light off fireworks, you'll need to keep them on private property.
- If someone is lighting fireworks in any dangerous way such as causing property damage, or if the person is intoxicated or suspected to be intoxicated Roon recommends you call 911.
- Don't ever relight a firework that initially didn't go off. Give it a good amount of time before even approaching it, and then douse it with water and place it in a bucket of water.
- Always be careful around fireworks. Even sparklers burn at up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, that makes for a severe burn risk. Always supervise children around any kind of firework, and if you're impaired in any way then don't use any kind of firework.
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