Fireworks during the Fourth of July are as American as apple-pie, but did you know that more fires are reported on that day than any other day of the year in the United States? More than half of these fires are caused by fireworks. The good news is you can enjoy your holiday and the fireworks, with just a few simple safety tips:

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

• Leave fireworks to the professionals. Do not use consumer fireworks.

• The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public display conducted by trained professionals.

• After the firework display, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over, they may still be active.

Consumer fireworks include sparklers and firecrackers. The tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of more than 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to cause third-degree burns.

FACTS

• Each July Fourth, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks.

Township Manager Marc Dashield is pleased to announce that Montclair was awarded funding from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program which will enable the Township’s 82 line firefighters to participate in life-safety training with the National Fire Academy’s “Calling the Mayday” program  – an instructor-led hands-on certification course which teaches firefighters situational awareness to realize they are in immediate danger.

The “Calling the Mayday” training program will also be made available to surrounding departments’ career and volunteer firefighters.