ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 28, 1994                   TAG: 9406300029
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-10   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TAKE NOTE

During this holiday weekend, Independence Day celebrants will be bent on firing up bottle rockets, firecrackers, sparklers and an array of other fireworks. Diane Catley, Radford University chemist, and Prevent Blindness Virginia offer these safety tips to avoid fireworks accidents:

Wear safety glasses. The kind of goggles you might wear in your home workshop or mowing the lawn provide good protection.

Keep fireworks away from crowds. The further you are from other people, the less likely you are to hurt others.

Have a bucket of water or garden hose handy. If you play with fire, expect fire and prevent it from getting out of control.

Don't shoot fireworks on a dry lawn. Use a driveway, a slab of concrete or a well-watered lawn. Grass fires spread very rapidly.

Strictly adhere to package warnings. Read the instructions, it could save you or someone an eye, a limb or a life.

Don't place fireworks too close together. Most people don't understand that chemicals in various fireworks can interact. Detonating them close together is dangerous.

Use caution around duds. Before you or someone else touches the dud, make sure it is cold. Get away from it and continue the show somewhere else.

Look for an alternative to doing your own show by going to one of the Fourth of July fireworks celebrations listed Sunday in Current Events. 


 by CNB