For Immediate Release: July 1, 2014
Stay out of the ER this 4th of July with Safety Tips from the Better Business Bureau®
*Parents Beware: Sparklers burn at around 2,000 degrees; Use with caution.
Indianapolis, Ind. – With the Fourth of July holiday this week, Better Business Bureau Serving Central Indiana encourages consumers to be safe when dealing with fireworks.
In 2013, an estimated 11,400 emergency room visits involved fireworks, with 65 percent of those occurring within the 30 days surrounding July 4, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) 2013 Fireworks Annual Report.
Here are your BBB Tips:
- Parents beware: Sparklers burn at about 2,000 degrees and can melt certain metals.* Use with caution and watch your children closely. (*Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
- Once you purchase the fireworks and are ready to set them up, keep water close by in case of an emergency.
- Read and follow the instructions on the label of the fireworks before setting them off.
- Always use at an outside location for fireworks.
- Make sure people are out of harm’s way before igniting a firework.
- Buy your fireworks from reliable sellers. In Indiana, sellers must have a permit issued from the State Fire Marshal. Go to www.bbb.org/indy/ to check out BBB Business Reviews.
Know the law in Indiana:
- Indiana law requires a person to be 18 years of age to purchase fireworks.
- You must have permission to discharge fireworks from someone else’s property.
- The Indiana Department of Homeland Security notes allowable times for fireworks as 9 a.m. to midnight on the Fourth of July. (Most days of the year provide for a timeframe of 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.)
- There are penalties for violating Indiana’s Firework Laws. For more information, visit: http://www.in.gov/dhs/2810.htm
- Remember to check with your local ordinances for any other regulations.
If you experience a dangerous firework product or a product-related injury, visit www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772.
From your Better Business Bureau Serving Central Indiana, Stay Safe & Happy Independence Day!
About Better Business Bureau
For more than 100 years, BBB has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2013, people turned to BBB more than 132 million times for BBB Business Reviews on more than 4.5 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. BBB serving Central Indiana, founded in 1916 and serving 46 counties in central Indiana, is one of 112 local, independent BBBs across North America.
