Fire Marshall Randy Issues Fireworks Warning

Drizzling rain forecast for this weekend ought to reduce the number of fires started by people who set off fireworks.

Which reminds me, fireworks are stupid.

Public fireworks displays are cool, but, c’mon, how many times can one say “aahhhh” while staring at the sky?

The real problem is with fireworks purchased on the roadside by individuals.

Fireworks hurt people. They destroy things. They set other people’s property on fire. And they cost a fortune.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a report this week saying 8,800 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries last year. That’s up from 7,000 injuries in 2008.

I was a kid once. There was nothing better than blowing up model airplanes and plastic Army men – or mailboxes – with fireworks.

But along the way, I was involved in several accidents and fire-starting incidents. If every kid had my spotty history when it comes to fireworks, the entire country would look like Dante’s Inferno each July.

The most interesting disaster was when I set my uncle’s car on fire. I was about 10. A huge box of fireworks was sitting on the hood of his car. I lit a bottle rocket and threw it in the air. It went 20 feet in the air, then made a U-turn and flew directly into the box that held an entire day’s worth of fireworks.

Talk about a public fireworks display. About $500 worth of bottle rockets, sparklers, Roman candles, Black Cats and smoke bombs went off all at once. When the inferno subsided, the car’s hood was charred black and the paint was bubbled up and ruined.

This disaster was made worse by the fact that my uncle worked for a police agency — and he was driving his police car at the time.

Moral: Don’t entrust reckless kids with fire and gunpowder. Bad stuff happens.

Tarrant County Fire Marshal Randy Renois reminds people that most Tarrant County cities have stiff penalties for setting off fireworks. He encourages families to attend public firework events and to “leave the explosions to the professionals.”

But, if you do decide to ignite fireworks, Renois suggests using an area where the grass has been mowed and to steer clear of structures such as homes, barns, and storage buildings.