Safety PSA for July 4th

mehofkirkwall:

So as a general PSA for the 4th– whatever gets lit up, wherever you are, I’m gonna level with you for fire danger and other stuff, because I worry about people and I know how many people hurt themselves.

Please follow your local fire safety laws. If you don’t know them, please find out how high the fire danger is, don’t shoot things off or burn things near trees or things like fallen leaves or pine needles.

If you’re going somewhere, prepare an area! Rake up the ground, even if it looks pretty clear– make sure there’s nothing down there and it’s in containers. It should be a 50 foot minimum clear area from where you plan to burn things and shoot them off. 
If there’s wind, use your head and don’t shoot high aerial fireworks till it calms down, please. It’s less about what’s going on on the ground in your area– embers come down somewhere and they might come down hundreds of feet away and torch something off. 
Likewise, keep an eye on the embers that come down. Deposit spent fireworks in a bucket or garbage can of water! This sounds weird or a hassal but it keeps ones that haven’t fully gone off, or ones that have and stayed hot from getting grabbed by kids or getting stepped on in the dark. It also means you can leave them in there till the morning or just later– no risk of sparks lighting off the spent pile either.
Make sure you have an extinguisher, flashlight and a first aid kit as well! This way you’ll have a more reliable way to extinguish any burning fireworks [since some compounds may just react more violently when hit with water], a way to see and a way to treat anything minor happening while having fun.

If you’re burning something.. made of cloth.. keep a tub or bucket of water around if you need to quickly douse things in the event of law enforcement or others appearing thinking something unlawful is afoot.
Ensure that no synthetic fibers are present in the cloth item, because burning plastic fibers or other synthetic textiles melt and can give off toxic fumes that could send you, your friends and family to the hospital. Keep in mind that burning fabric does not always burn in a straight line and that fire burns vertically– this means that you should hold the cloth item out away from you to ensure you do not sustain burns.
Additionally, ensure that anyone else with you is not within reach of the flame– follow the same rule as you would with a knife, a circle about 5 inches past whatever the cloth is attached to.
If you are burning the cloth object on the ground, please try to resist the urge to stomp on it directly while it is aflame. While tempting and it most likely deserves it, you run the risk of catching your pant leg on fire and burns are not good. Please follow the ground clearing instructions above if you do so. Or use a fire pit.

As with any major holiday, but primarily with this being a large American holiday there’s going to be a lot of recreational drinking and I beg you to not drink and drive. If you plan on drinking at a BBQ that you’re going to sit and watch fireworks after, make plans to either have a ride or to stay there. If you’re going to a community or public fireworks shows that serve alcohol, arrange a ride from there. I say again: DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. DO NOT DRIVE TIRED EITHER. NEITHER ARE SAFE.

Now, secondary comments, have fun but remember to wear sunscreen while you’re enjoying the day time activities– white people burning is common knowledge, but people with dark skin need to remember to put on sunscreen as well to avoid nasty effects of having absorbed too much solar radiation. Remember to stay hydrated– dehydration can be a killer in the young and elderly, as well as in those taking medications for conditions such as depression, psychosis, anxiety, and others. Remember to provide shade for your guests and when at public events, remember to seek it out when you start feeling off. 

This has been a PSA about my concerns for the fourth and some things to remember.

2 years ago / 629 
#psa  #4th of july  #fire safety  #important 
via: the-space-enby
src: mehofkirkwall
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    Be safe, everyone!
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