The Fourth of July will be here next week and with it comes the wonderful display of fireworks that have become a tradition in many communities.
It is worth the small trip to any of the local venues that will provide a safe and pleasant experience for you and your family to watch and enjoy.
But, with this time of year comes the many, many occurrences of "backyard" displays that can be dangerous. Dangerous to the person setting them off, dangerous to those you're entertaining, and dangerous to your neighbors.
It is more than a nuisance. Setting off fireworks by an unlicensed professional is against the law in Pennsylvania and many local municipalities have enacted specific ordinances against it, enforceable not only by police but by local fire marshals and code enforcement officers.
Each year the newspaper receives calls from the families of veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome who become prisoners in their own homes because the sound of nearby explosions bring back memories of the horrors they survived.
Each year the newspaper receives calls from senior citizens who feel the need to remain outside of their homes to guard against burning embers from a neighbor's backyard fireworks floating down onto their homes or property.
Each year we hear a local fire company being dispatched to a fire started by an errant, burning rocket ignited by a careless, would-be pyrotechnician interrupting the volunteers' otherwise joyous holiday.
Each year, we read about the horrible injuries caused by the careless handling of fireworks.
Small fireworks, such as firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers account for almost 75% of all fireworks-related injuries each year. Many small fireworks can heat up to nearly 2,000 degrees and create permanently debilitating injuries when mishandled.
Another danger is that sometimes fireworks don't go off as expected or, in the case of airborne rockets, travel in the direction you planned.
Before you light your backyard fireworks display this year ask yourself, is it worth the risk?
You may think you're the life of your Fourth of July picnic or the "host with the most" but you're not. You are a danger to yourself and others.
Enjoy the holiday and allow others to enjoy it too.
If you're not a trained, licensed pyrotechnician with the proper permits in place, you are more than a nuisance; you're just plain dangerous.