PD Editorial: Staying safe on the Fourth

Fourth of July fireworks are a tradition almost as old as Independence Day itself.

From Bodega Bay to Sonoma and Cloverdale to Petaluma, professional fireworks shows will light up the North Bay, testament to the prescience of John Adams, who predicted in 1776 that the Declaration of Independence would be commemorated with “illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”

The nation’s birthday celebration wouldn’t be complete without the sizzle, the boom and the splash of color across the sky.

Enjoy the patriotic display. We will.

But - you knew there was a “but” coming - this isn’t an ordinary year. California is in the fourth year of a drought, and this week has seen temperatures climb into the 90s and beyond. Fire, always a danger this time of year, is an even greater threat than usual.

Fireworks heighten the risk even further.

The people running community fireworks shows are trained professionals who take precautions to reduce the risk of a fire. Most people using personal fireworks take precautions, too.

Still, there’s no denying the correlation between fireworks and holiday fires. More fires are reported on the Fourth of July than any other day, according to the National Fire Prevention Association, and 40 percent of those fires are related to fireworks.

Property isn’t the only thing at risk. An average of 230 people show up in emergency rooms every day with fireworks-related injuries from mid-June to mid-July, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.

Four local cities - Cloverdale, Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Sebastopol - allow sales of personal fireworks. They cannot be sold or used anywhere else in Sonoma County, and legal fireworks cannot explode or leave the ground.

If you insist on your own fireworks display, be careful. If you’re uncertain, consider these numbers - a common sparkler burns at about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, and wood catches fire at about 570 degrees - and you may agree that it’s a good year to celebrate the Fourth of July at one of the many local fireworks shows.