Daily Republic, The Other Side July 2, 2009

Be safe, sane with fireworks

By Kelvin Wade | | July 02, 2009 16:14

It was the Fourth of July and I was in my late teens. For some reason, I don't recall, I was home alone. I opened the back door of the house and holding a plump red firecracker in my left hand, lit it with a lighter. The green fuse sparked to life and I swiftly tossed the firework end over end into our large backyard.

Independence Day is the day we celebrate our national birthday by sacrificing various dead dry-rubbed animals on Kingsford and Weber altars. It's the holiday where we go outside, see our neighbors, go camping, or swimming at Lake Berryessa, Lake Solano, or your pool. It's a day for softball, basketball and other outdoor recreation.

And for many it's a day of libation. Alcoholic beverages flow quite freely, greasing our party wheels.

But it's also a day of fireworks. While the big, professional fireworks shows are a great way to end such a festive day, it's the illegal variety we have to worry about. People will defy local laws and go to other communities and purchase so-called 'safe and sane' fireworks. But people also buy fireworks that are not just illegal in our community, but illegal throughout the country, like cherry bombs and M80s.

An M80 is a device about 1.5 inches long, usually red with a green Visco fuse. They contain a little less than 3 grams of pyrotechnic matter and are illegal in the United States. They've been illegal since 1966. No firecracker can have more than 50 milligrams of pyrotechnic composition.

Since the product is illegal, they're manufactured without consumer safety in mind. Fuses on fireworks must last between three and nine seconds. But on an illegal firework, there are no standards. While fireworks should not be held in the hand and lit anyway, an M80 can detonate faster than the user thinks it will, with tragic results. They're powerful enough to remove hands.

Have you noticed that the terminally irresponsible are drawn to fireworks like flies to feces? Murphy's Law dictates that the last guy you'd trust to be holding a lighter in one hand and an explosive device in the other will end up being the master of ceremonies at a neighborhood fireworks show.

The risk of injury and fire just isn't worth it. And parents are liable for the damage their kids do with fireworks.

Besides, all fireworks are illegal in Fairfield.

That Fourth of July many years ago, as I watched the firework I tossed fly end over end, I anticipated the deep, satisfying boom to come. I had a pocketful of them, ready to light. The sparkling fat red firecracker landed in the backyard.

To my horror, my dog Smokey began running toward it, thinking I was playing a game of fetch with him. I called his name but it was too late. The firecracker exploded. It's been more than 20 years but I can still hear his cries as he limped away holding a paw off the ground. I ran to help him.

Feeling guilty and remorseful, I destroyed the remaining fireworks I had and since then I haven't even held a sparkler.

There's a whole host of ways to enjoy this Fourth of July. But please leave the fireworks to the professionals. Peace.