Things to remember when celebrating 4th of July with fireworks

DAYTON — The skies will be filled with fireworks as people celebrate the Fourth of July.

But officials want to make sure Ohioans are using them safely and protecting themselves and those around them.

Most of us love the boom of Independence Day fireworks, but for pets and some with PTSD, those sounds are not always welcome.

“It can be a traumatic event for them,” Rico Rojas said.

Rojas is an Air Force veteran.

While he said fireworks don’t bother him, he recognized the noise can take a lot of veterans back to a bad place.

“It does take them back to that place, some have had very traumatic experiences. It can be a tough time,” Rojas said.

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He said he checks on fellow veterans from his VFW post and asks everyone to be aware of their neighbors.

Fire officials are also weighing in on the use of explosives at home.

“Just be careful with kids, we shouldn’t be letting kids shoot off fireworks, it’s extremely dangerous, should be adults only,” Anita Metheney said.

Metheney is a safety inspector with the State Fire Marshal.

She confirmed Ohio made fireworks legal for Independence Day weekend a couple of years ago.

She said too many people are not taking safety precautions in setting them off or making sure they are properly extinguished.

“Your best bet is a pail of water, once you’re done with them, just put them in that pail of water, they’ll get that water soaked in and they will truly go out,” Metheny said.

While fireworks are legal in Ohio from 4-11 p.m. from July 3 to July 7, local communities can issue their bans on private fireworks.

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