LAS VEGAS, Nev. —The Clark County Fire Department is reminding residents that only fireworks labeled “safe and sane†are legal for use in Clark County, and only from June 28 through July 4, when it’s legal for authorized dealers to sell them.
Legal fireworks include sparklers and fireworks that keep to a small, circular area on the ground and don’t explode in the air. Illegal fireworks include firecrackers, Roman candles, sky rockets – any item made of highly combustible materials. Any fireworks purchased from vendors located outside of Clark County jurisdictional boundaries (which include unincorporated Clark County, North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City and Mesquite) are illegal to possess and store. Possessing or using illegal fireworks is a misdemeanor in Clark County. No fireworks, even those labeled, “safe and sane,†are allowed at Red Rock, Mount Charleston, Lake Mead or other federal areas.
The Fire Departments in the Valley recommend the following fireworks safety tips:Â
- Have a pre-connected garden hose handy in case a fire breaks out and maintain several five gallon buckets filled with water where you can place discharged fireworks.
- Use fireworks on flat, hard surfaces such as parking lots, cul-de-sacs, etc. away from buildings, vehicles, dry brush, etc.
- Use only “safe and sane†fireworks and only in the way they were designed.
- Do not let children ignite fireworks. Keep close supervision on children and pets; maintaining a distance away from the fireworks that are being ignited minimizes the possibility of injury.
- Keep fireworks out of young children’s hands. Sparklers have been a popular item to give young children in the past, but they can get as hot as 2,000 degrees and that’s enough to cause clothes to catch fire or cause bad skin burns when used.
- Exercise caution when approaching an item that has failed to light; keep everyone away from it for several minutes.
- Before you begin lighting fireworks, discuss what to do if someone’s clothes catch on fire: Stop, drop and roll. Any burns should be treated with cool water and gauze. If the burn blisters, seek medical help.
- Exercise caution and place the discharged fireworks into a bucket of water overnight to make certain they do not re-ignite.
- Check the area where fireworks were set off and conduct a wide sweep around the area (including roof tops) to make certain that no embers or other heated debris remain that could cause something to ignite later.
For more information, call the Clark County Fire Prevention Bureau, (702) 455-7316.
