Here’s What You Need to Know about Lighting Off Fireworks at Home

Setting off some fireworks is a great way to make summer nights memorable and magical for all. Fireworks may go on sale in a big canvas tent in your nearest shopping center each summer, but do you know how to choose the best products for your family? Are you sure you can light them off safely?

Of course you can! It’s not hard to put on a home fireworks show – mostly you just need plenty of space, at least if you’re going to light aerial fireworks. 

Choose the Right Fireworks for Your Space

Fireworks are available for commercial sale in most states, although individual rules vary a little bit on what kinds of fireworks you can have and even what times of year you can light them. Bear in mind that many fireworks aren’t meant to be lit in a postage-stamp backyard in the middle of town. That’s not to say you couldn’t find some perfectly nice cones or fountain pyrotechnics, but you should read product labels carefully to determine the safe viewing distance from the firework and make sure you have that kind of space available to you at your location. 

Protect the Audience

The last thing you need is a firework falling over and spraying sparks, or shooting a mortar round, into your audience. You can protect your audience by keeping them at a minimum safe distance from the fireworks. Aerial fireworks like roman candles and bottle rockets require the largest viewing distance – at least one-and-a-half times the display’s aerial height. Fireworks that shoot up sparks, like fountains, may allow audiences to stand as close to the action as 15 feet.

You can also protect the audience by lighting all the fireworks yourself or designating another responsible person to do it. That person should refrain from drinking alcohol, at least until after the show. 

Keep Your Safety Gear Handy

You should wear the right clothes when you’re lighting fireworks – long pants and sleeves, made with an all-natural fiber like cotton. If sparks hit natural fibers, they will cause the fibers to smolder or light on fire, but you can quickly beat them out before you burn yourself. Artificial fibers, however, melt and burn your skin when sparks hit them. 

Most people who sustain fireworks injuries get them to the face – protect yourself with a pair of safety goggles. Refrain from hanging your face over the firework while you are lighting it – use a long lighter and come in from the side. Wear close-toed shoes and protect your hair with a hat.

Be Ready to Put Out Fires

Fireworks are responsible for about 18,500 fires a year, so you should be ready to spring into action if one of your pyrotechnics lights something on fire. You should also make sure the area where you’re lighting fireworks doesn’t have anything that could catch fire in it, like old newspapers, dried plant matter, or flammable liquids. If you’re lighting aerial fireworks, make sure you have an adequate fallout zone free of trees, structures, other flammables, and overhead wiring. 

Keep a few buckets of water or a garden hose handy when you’re setting off fireworks. You never know when a firework might fall over and fire its mortar shells at something that can catch on fire. Dousing the fireworks and any resulting flames is the fastest way to neutralize the situation. 

Give Fireworks a Solid Foundation

Because fireworks aren’t always the most stable, you should give them a solid foundation so they don’t fall over and spew flames everywhere. Some people do this by screwing their fireworks to a long length of plywood or building a mortar rack to hold their fireworks steady. The very least you should be prepared to do is set fireworks down on a flat, firm surface, like concrete, instead of a bumpy or uneven surface like grass or gravel. 

If you don’t have access to concrete, you can get a piece of plywood or other heavy wood to provide a base for your fireworks. You don’t necessarily have to attach them to the wood, but it would eliminate one of the more common mishaps people have with fireworks. 

Lighting off fireworks at home can be perfectly safe, as long as you’re sensible and take steps to protect yourself and your family. Enjoy fireworks responsibly and take the right safety precautions, so everyone can leave the experience with nothing more lasting than a fond memory.