A few morning showers. Some sun.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With Fourth of July festivities planned this weekend, firefighters want to make sure you celebrate safely.

They recommend enjoying a professional fireworks show like the one scheduled to take place at Waterfront Park, but if you are going to have your own fun in your own backyard, they urge you to have safety goggles and the gloves on hand.

Louisville Fire Battalion Chief Major Bobby Cooper said he wants families to be careful when they light the fuse.

"Understand how dangerous fireworks are," he said. "They burn incredibly hot, they're unpredictable and they're dangerous."

He added that even the kind that many parents allow their children to use -- like sparklers -- can pose a risk. Sparklers can burn anywhere from 1,800 to 2,000 degrees.

"You're basically using what's, like, comparable to a blowtorch, and a lot of times people aren't realizing they're putting that in the hands of a kid," he said. 

He added that, "a wrong turn in the wrong direction" can cause severe injuries. Roughly 13,000 people get sent to the hospital every year with injuries caused by fireworks.

The majority of those injuries is to the hand, finger or leg.

"We see some really grotesque and some gruesome injuries this time of the year due to fireworks," Cooper said. "We also see some tremendous amount of property damage. We've had fires -- even deaths -- in recent years here in Jefferson County."

Major Cooper said fireworks cause millions of dollars in property damage.

Additionally, some fireworks are illegal in this area. All fireworks that leave the ground or explode -- like mortars, for example -- are illegal in Jefferson County.

Fireworks that remain on the ground are permitted, but anyone who purchases fireworks must be 18. 

And anyone who plans to celebrate should ensure that a responsible adult is lighting the fireworks. Cooper said it should not be a situation where kids are "just going to the store and buying a lighter or a box of matches and coming home and lighting them off."

He also emphasized setting up a perimeter to keep kids safe, having a plan to dispose of the fireworks at the end of the night and creating an emergency plan if things go wrong.

If you do plan on lighting fireworks, he also suggested having a bucket of water, hose and fire extinguisher nearby.

Copyright 2022 by WDRB Media. All rights reserved.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.