Community Corner

Setting off Fireworks? Tips to Stay Safe

Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Chief offers some safety precautions to take this holiday weekend

Residents in more than 45 states (plus Washington, D.C.) allow the sale and lighting of fireworks to everyday consumers.

Still, there are rules that residents of Vienna and Fairfax County must follow, and for good reason: the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated about 8,800 people for fireworks-related injuries in 2009.

Vienna Volunteer Fire Chief John Morrison said any firework which explodes, emits a flame or sparks higher than 12 feet, or performs as a projectile, is prohibited by the Fairfax County Fire Prevention Code in Vienna, Clifton, Herndon and all areas of the county.  Possessing or using them can result in up to a Class 1 misdemeanor by the Fairfax County Fire Marshal, Morrison said.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But residents can use items on the county's permissible fireworks list -- any sparklers, fountains, Pharaoh's serpents, caps for pistols, or pinwheels commonly known as whirligigs or spinning jennies -- in their own yard, so long as they are not used or ignited inside, under or within 50 feet from any structure.

Morrison said firework safety "really boils down to common sense."

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sparklers can burn at temperatures of up to 1800 degrees, Morrison said; in 2003, children under the age of 15 suffered 45% of all injuries from fireworks.

He offered these quick tips to Vienna Patch for a safe holiday celebration:

  • Read the directions!
  • When lighting legally purchased, approved fireworks, place them on a flat surface, clear of any combustible material and clear of all buildings.
  • Buy from only reputable vendors licensed by the county and never attempt to build your own.
  • Keep all bystanders at least 25 feet away from fireworks.
  • Do not permit young children to handle or light fireworks.
  • Light only one firework at a time.
  • Never throw fireworks.
  • Store fireworks in a cool, dry place.


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