Tag: Fireworks

State Officials Offer Safety Tips Ahead of Independence Day Celebrations

While fireworks are a Fourth of July tradition, the sizzling, popping, colorful explosives are also the leading cause of the holiday’s accidents.

State officials are reminding West Virginians to have a safe Independence Day this year. 

While fireworks are a Fourth of July tradition, the sizzling, popping, colorful explosives are also the leading cause of the holiday’s accidents.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated close to 10,000 Americans were injured by everything from sparklers to mortars last year. An estimated 800 emergency department-treated injuries were associated with firecrackers and 700 with sparklers. 

In a joint press release with the Department of Human Services Wednesday, Department of Health Secretary Sherri Young said they want to help make safety a priority.

“We want to wish a happy and healthy Fourth to all,” she said. “As we come together to commemorate the foundation of our country, we want to help guarantee that safety is at the forefront of all our holiday activities.”

Tips include not standing near fireworks after lighting them, never relighting a “dud” and always supervising children around fireworks. CPSC states teenagers ages 15 to 19 years of age had the highest estimated rate of emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries, with children ages 5-9 years old having the second highest rate.

Additional holiday safety measures include wearing and reapplying sunscreen, staying hydrated, refraining from operating any machinery or vehicles if consuming alcohol, and practicing water safety. Water safety includes supervising all swimmers, wearing a lifejacket, choosing swimwear that can be detected underwater (bright reds, oranges, yellows, and greens are best), and learning CPR. 

“While we celebrate our nation’s independence, it’s crucial to prioritize safety,” said Cynthia Persily, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services. “By reminding West Virginians of a few simple safety guidelines, we can ensure a joyful and accident-free holiday for everyone.”

Staying prepared and taking precautions are the best ways to stay safe while enjoying time with friends and family. If you do find yourself in the middle of a health emergency, seek medical attention immediately by calling 911. 

While state and county DoHS offices are closed for the Independence Day holiday, help is still available 24/7. For suspected cases of abuse and neglect, call the Centralized Intake for Abuse and Neglect at 1-800-352-6513. For emergencies, call 911.

Air Quality Alerts Continue And Teachers Gather To Talk Student Literacy On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, hundreds of southern West Virginia teachers are gathered in Charleston this week, learning how to best improve student literacy. Randy Yohe reports on implementing the “Ready Read Write” initiative.

On this West Virginia Morning, hundreds of southern West Virginia teachers are gathered in Charleston this week, learning how to best improve student literacy. Randy Yohe reports on implementing the “Ready Read Write” initiative. 

Also, in this show, officials have issued alerts about air quality issues in West Virginia. Eric Douglas has more.

The Putnam County Commission approved an ordinance Tuesday that could restrict drag shows. Curtis Tate has more.

And with the July 4 holiday approaching, officials are asking the public to rethink using fireworks. Delaney Wells has more.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Teresa Wills is our host.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Monongahela National Forest Prohibits Fireworks

If you are planning to celebrate July 4th at Monongahela National Forest, reconsider what you are packing. Possessing, igniting, discharging or using any kind of fireworks is prohibited on National Forest System Lands.

The Fourth of July is coming up and a great place to spend it is in Monongahela National Forest. While packing for the weekend, remember to leave your fireworks at home. While they are perfect for the holiday, possessing, igniting, discharging, or using fireworks of any kind is prohibited on national forest system lands. 

“We encourage forest visitors to enjoy public fireworks displays in one of the communities in and around Monongahela National Forest.” said Aaron Kendall, fire management officer for Monongahela National Forest. 

Setting off fireworks is illegal, but also hazardous and can cause injury or may start wildfires.

Law enforcement in the national park will be watching closely this Fourth of July. Fireworks will be confiscated, and users can be fined up to $5,000 or serve up to six months in prison.

Report any fire-related incidents to the Mid-Atlantic Coordination Center 24-hour dispatch at (717) 980-3230.

Watch For Forest Fires From Fireworks, Warns Forest Service

The Fourth of July holiday is a time to get outdoors and have fun in the national forests in West Virginia. But wildlife managers say to leave fireworks at home. Possessing, igniting, discharging or using any kind of fireworks is prohibited on national forest system lands.

“Setting off fireworks in the forest is not only illegal, it is also a hazardous activity that can lead to injury and wildfires,” said Aaron Kendall, fire management officer for the Monongahela National Forest. “We encourage forest visitors to enjoy public fireworks displays in one of the communities in and around West Virginia.”

Eric Douglas spoke with Kendall to talk about fireworks and fire danger.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Douglas: Fireworks of any kind are illegal on national public lands. We’re talking even sparklers as much as stuff that goes flying up in the air.

Kendall: That’s correct. Whether they’re handheld or they’re aerial or anything along those lines out there, they’re all illegal. Most of the country, and even here in West Virginia, can be very dry. And one simple spark from any of that could start a very devastating wildfire.

Douglas: What is the fire danger right now?

Kendall: It depends. Generally in the whole state it’s what you would consider moderate in our scale, but there are some areas that are shadowed from the rain. Here in the Elkins area, we have a lot of rain, and so it’s a little less likely to have some type of wildfire, but you go just a little bit to the east of us, on the other side of ridge over towards Petersburg, or White Sulphur Springs on that side of the forest and it’s a different story. They don’t get nearly as much precipitation. The fire danger can change more rapidly down there.

Douglas: What would be your message to people, not in national forest lands, but in their backyard or out in the woods somewhere?

Kendall: You want to make sure you are doing it in a safe way so you’re going to be able to enjoy it, and hopefully not cause any injury or any type of fire. Obviously, it’s best to be under adult supervision at all times when fireworks are being used.

More importantly, from a fire aspect, you want to make sure that if you’re going to be setting off anything that has some type of spark or flame, that is done in a clear area that’s devoid of vegetation so that if it does fall over or hit the ground that it’s not going to spark a fire. Having some type of water source on hand is also very important. Whether you’ve got a hose or a bucket, or whatever you have, so that if you do have something that starts, you’re able to extinguish them quickly.

Some towns also have different policies from the state. Check with your local officials before attempting to set off fireworks.

The public should call 911 in case of emergency; incidents in the forest can also be reported via the Mid-Atlantic Coordination Center 24-hour dispatch line at (717) 980-3230.

The use or possession of fireworks on public lands is subject to confiscation and fines of up to $5,000 for an individual, $10,000 for an organization and/or up to six months in jail. In addition, anyone found responsible for starting a wildfire can be held civilly and criminally liable.

New Fireworks Law Brings in $800K

The state Treasurer’s Office says it will begin to distribute the nearly $800,000 generated from taxes on high-powered fireworks. 

Lawmakers passed a bill during the 2016 session to allow the sale of the high-flying fireworks in the state. The bill added a 12 percent surcharge to the fireworks on top of the normal sales tax to help fund two programs: volunteer fire departments and veterans facilities.

VFD’s across West Virginia will each receive around $400 this month after the first three months of product sales. That’s their cut of about $180,000, or 25 percent of the revenue brought in by fireworks distributors.

The other $740,000 will go toward maintenance at the VA Nursing Home in Clarksburg and the eventual construction of a new VA nursing home in Beckley.

Since the passage of the bill earlier this year, several municipalities have taken steps toward limiting the use of large fireworks to certain days of the year. Many of those cities are in the Kanawha Valley.

Charleston Moves Forward with Fireworks Restriction Bill

A bill that would limit the use of fireworks in Charleston is moving forward.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports a City Council committee on Tuesday voted to recommend approval of the bill, which will advance to the council for a final vote next week.

The bill would restrict the use of fireworks to four days per year, including Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and New Year’s Eve.

Those looking to use fireworks for a special occasion on any other days would need to seek permission from the police chief.

City Attorney Paul Ellis, who drafted the bill, says the council will be able to make changes to it by removing or adding days that fireworks would be permitted before it takes a final vote Oct. 3.

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