The Independence Day weekend is upon us, and local officials want you to be safe through the holiday. They say they expect to see more people shooting off fireworks themselves, with major public fireworks displays in our area canceled. The majority of all fireworks are illegal in Illinois. But Galesburg Fire Chief Randy Hovind says even with what few LEGAL fireworks allowed in Illinois, they’re still very dangerous. “Sparklers: those are actually pretty dangerous,” Hovind said. “They can get up to 1,200 degrees, (they) can actually burn metal. Those are one of the highest-rated fireworks injuries out there. (In Illinois), snakes, glow-worms are legal; smoke devices, party-poppers or snappers… Hand-held fireworks are illegal. Bottle rockets are illegal; firecrackers, sky-rockets, roman candles, pinwheels (are all illegal). We get a lot of requests for sky lanterns throughout the year. Those are actually illegal in Illinois too. Now, those have started some fires.” Hovind admits that people crossing the border into neighboring states and bringing in fireworks is a hard thing to police. But make sure to set fireworks off in an open area where any mishaps won’t endanger buildings or homes. Other safety tips include: Never allow young children to handle fireworks; never use fireworks while impaired by drugs or alcohol; never hold lighted fireworks in your hands; never point or throw fireworks at another person.
