Brouhard: Fine Fourth easily possible without illegal fireworks

By Rod Brouhard

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I love fireworks. They're very pretty.

They're also dangerous.

My family and I moved to our home near Beyer High School almost 10 years ago. On our first Independence Day, as we set off fireworks with neighbors, we noticed smoke rising up behind the rooftops.

We ran down the street to find a house with three very tall Italian cypress trees next to the garage. One was on fire and the tree next to it was smoking. So was the roof of the garage.

A neighbor climbed up on the garage roof and I tossed him a garden hose. He kept the garage roof wet while another neighbor called 911.

All three trees were lost and had to be removed at the homeowner's expense. Neighborhood kids had lit the tree on fire with illegal fireworks.

A few years later, in mid-July, long after fireworks should be over, my daughter and a friend were standing in the backyard when a bottle rocket screamed in at full speed between neighboring homes and landed at their feet. It was only by pure luck they didn't get hit. Another bottle rocket landed on the house next door and sat smoking on the roof for several minutes. Another disaster narrowly avoided.

Illegal fireworks are illegal for a reason. This is California. We have low humidity and high heat, a combination perfectly suited for fires. It's why we have such a reliably bad wildfire season every year.

It's estimated that 2,200 fires -- buildings and vehicles -- were caused by fireworks in 2004, causing $21 million in property damage.

Even if fires weren't so likely, injuries from illegal fireworks are common. Eleven people were killed and 9,200 were treated for fireworks injuries in 2006. Firecrackers caused more injuries than any other type of firework, which is why they're illegal in California -- not because they cause lots of fires.

Bottle rockets and sparklers (legal in California, but I don't recommend them) are the other big culprits.

Fireworks cause blindness, third-degree burns and permanent scars, often through misuse. Kids get curious and come too close. Adults can get careless.

Don't get me wrong: I love watching - and safely lighting - fireworks. I also like my fingers, my eyes, my house and my family. I don't want anything to happen to any of those.

Our history includes a strong military tradition that we celebrate with fireworks. I applaud that and I plan to watch fireworks myself this year. They'll be professionally lit by people who know how to do it safely and beautifully.

If you plan to light your own, follow some simple safety steps. Only one adult gets lighting duty -- everyone else stays back. Stay away from the house. Skip the sparklers. Keep a hose ready and only light legal fireworks.

Modesto will fine you $1,000 if you get caught with illegal fireworks. I hope that keeps the bottle rockets bottled up. For the rest of you, have a safe and sane Fourth of July.

Brouhard is a paramedic in Modesto. Write him at columns@modbee.com.