GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With America celebrating its 250th birthday this Fourth of July, patriotic displays are expected to be grander than usual. The Grand Rapids Fire Department is reminding neighbors to put safety first before lighting off fireworks.
Fire Marshal Bill Smith said the department wants people to understand what they are working with before they light anything.
"Take a look at the package, make sure that you understand exactly what that device is going to do," Smith said.
Smith said the recent heat wave makes caution especially important right now.
"We recommend that you water down your yard and the bushes surrounding your yard to make sure that you don't have any fires that you don't want, and with the dry conditions that we're going to be experiencing, you obviously could have a fire in your yard or your neighbor's yard," Smith said.
Smith also warned about the dangers of unsupervised children handling fireworks.
"Adolescents sometimes get their hands on these and horse play is involved, and that is where we can have a significant injury," Smith said.
One local family takes safety seriously, especially in these conditions.
Deb Van't Hof and her daughter Grace were shopping at Good Stuff Fireworks a couple of days before the Fourth of July, and they said they follow a safety checklist before setting off any fireworks.
"We do have buckets of water right around where we set them off. We, we have what used to be the horse arena that we set it off in, so it's a huge area on our property that has no trees, and we have a platform that we've built that we set them off from, so and everybody sits pretty far away from where we set them off," Deb Van't Hof said.
For the Van't Hofs, the holiday is a family tradition — and this year carries extra meaning.
"It's just like my favorite holiday. I just love the huge chrysanthemums in the, in the sky," Deb Van't Hof said.
"We usually go pretty big every year. We're pretty big on fireworks. I just love setting them off. I love the big sounds and the big lights, but this year is extra special," Grace Van't Hof said.
Grace had a message for everyone celebrating this weekend.
"Enjoy the 250th enjoy those big booms, and stay safe. Stay cool. Make sure you're drinking enough water," Grace said.
Neighbors in Michigan can legally shoot off fireworks between 11 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. from June 29 through Saturday, July 4, per state law.
