City officials want everyone to have a safe and happy Fourth of July this year, and want to prompt all residents of Greenville to play it safe when dealing with fireworks.

&uot;People don’t respect fireworks as an explosive,&uot; Greenville Fire Chief Mike Phillips

said. &uot;Even though they’re very small, they’re still an explosive. The main thing for people to remember is to monitor the situation at all times.&uot;

Authorities also want to remind citizens it is illegal to use firecrackers inside the city limits of all cities in Butler County.

Some hints officials suggest to help avoid a disaster on July 4 include:

n Follow all safety precautions issued with the fireworks.

n Never use fireworks while drinking alcoholic beverages. The slowness of response and impaired judgment will cause injuries.

n Have an adult supervise the use of all fireworks. Sale is prohibited to children under 12 years of age.

n Have a fire extinguisher or bucket of water at hand to extinguish an incipient fire.

n Have a safe landing zone for aerial fireworks. Never ignite aerial fireworks where overhead obstructions (trees, eaves, wires, etc.) may interfere with trajectory into open air space. Consideration must also be given to wind direction and the ignitability of anything in the landing zone. And be sure to remove all flammable and combustible materials in the area.

&urren; Use a &uot;punk&uot; to ignite the fireworks and do not ignite fireworks while holding them. Put them down, then ignite them and walk away. Punks provide a safer distance between a user’s hand and the fireworks. Open flames from fighters and matches can cause additional fire hazards.

&urren; Never use fireworks inside or in a vehicle or ignite aerial fireworks near an opening to a building. An open door or window could allow aerial fireworks to fly into a structure and cause a fire. Also don’t put fireworks in any container to ignite.

&urren; Never assume an ignited firework that fails to explode is safe to approach. Any malfunctioning fireworks should be abandoned.

&urren; Never take fireworks apart or mix anything with their contents or make fireworks at home. The making of an explosive device is a felony, punishable by imprisonment or fine.

Each year people suffer burns, loss of eyesight, burst eardrums and other injuries, and property damage because of mishandled fireworks.

The Harris County Fire Marshal recommends attending public fireworks displays because shows are safer and have better visual displays than what might he accomplished at home.

County officials also said that while Cherokee County is not currently under a burn ban, citizens still need to be especially careful while using fireworks or other incendiary devices in this year’s excessively dry weather. Meteorologists recently reported the area is currently eight inches below the average rain fall level for this time of year.

– National Council on Fireworks Safety