St. Robert Fire Chief Mike Shempert offers safety tips on handling fireworks

There will be a lot of personal fireworks discharged this Fourth of July holiday weekend, and some painful injuries, too, due to carelessness. The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says roughly 11-thousand people are rushed to the emergency room every year for treatment of injuries from fireworks..And St. Robert Fire Chief Mike Shempert says it is important for discharged fireworks to be soaked in water for a period of time.

Always wear eye protection safety glasses when lighting fireworks. Never carry a firework in your pocket or shoot them from a metal or glass container. Never aim or throw fireworks at another person, animal, or building. Have a bucket of water or working garden hoses available, and properly dispose of all fireworks.