Fireworks Safety on Vashon

Fireworks season is upon us once again. The community of Vashon did a great job last year keeping safe during fireworks season with no fireworks related incidents requiring anything more than a band aid. For the last six years Vashon’s fireworks related incident rate has been very low which is common where fireworks are thoughtfully regulated by the government. Communities which have banned fireworks typically have much higher fire and injury rates due to the use of dangerous, illegal products.

To help people be safe this year, Vashon Island Fire and Rescue will be holding fireworks safety classes at Sound Food. The classes are short, and are open to all audiences. Classes will be held on Saturday at 10:00am and Sunday at 1:00pm.

Please be thoughtful about where you discharge fireworks, and try to keep them away from animals. As an alternative, quiet fireworks that have all the beauty, but very little noise are available on Vashon. If you are lighting fireworks in a grassy area, it is a good idea to water the grass a couple of hours before lighting things.

Be safe and always supervise your children when using fireworks. Read and understand the directions, and never let children play with fireworks alone.

Watch out for illegal fireworks that are commonly sold by unlicensed stands. Most serious fireworks injuries are caused by illegal fireworks which include: firecrackers, rockets and 1.3g (professional display) fireworks. If the stand you buy from is licensed by WSDOT you can be sure that you are getting legal products.

Be safe, and have a happy, beautiful 4th of July!