Fireworks how-to: safety tips for your Canada Day display

CBC News | Posted: June 29, 2017 3:41 PM | Last Updated: June 30, 2017

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Caption: Keep water on hand when setting off fireworks. (mmckinneyphotography/Shutterstock)

If you plan to set off fireworks for Canada Day, be sure to take some safety precautions to protect yourself and your audience.

Here are some tips from the Guelph Police, Natural Resources Canada and the Canada Safety Council.

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(CBC)

How to buy fireworks

Buy fireworks from reliable sources that sell products that meet safety standards.
Read and follow the directions on the label.
Keep fireworks and sparklers away from children.
Keep fireworks in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight.
Don't improvise your own fireworks.
Don't smoke around fireworks.

Choose a wide, clear site without obstacles to set up your fireworks display. Double-check the minimum distances for spectators mentioned on the label of the fireworks.
Plan the order of the fireworks before you start lighting them.
Fireworks should be partially buried, at least half the length of the firework, in a bucket, box or wheelbarrow of sand or earth. If you don't have any of these, plant the fireworks firmly in the ground before you light them. Make sure to set them at a 10-degree angle, and point them away from people.
Make sure to have lots of water on hand. You can put used fireworks in a pail of water.

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Caption: Keep fireworks in a dry, cool place, out of direct sunlight. (Rainier Martin Ampongan/Shutterstock)

Don't light fireworks in windy weather. If there is a light wind, make sure the wind is blowing away from any spectators.
Wear eye protection and gloves.
Don't place any part of your body over the firework.
Keep your hair and clothes away from fire sources.
Always the light the fuse of the firework at its tip.
Don't try to light a firework in your hand and don't hold a lit firework in your hand unless the instructions on the firework say the product was designed to be hand-held.

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Caption: Read all the instructions and warnings on fireworks packaging before using. (Rainier Martin Ampongan/Shutterstock)

Always make sure you have water on hand, buckets and a garden hose, to soak fireworks that might continue to smolder after they've fired.
Wait at least 30 minutes before you approach a firework that didn't go off. Don't try to relight a firework that didn't go off.
Never try to fix a firework that is defective.
Sparklers should be put in a bucket of sand to cool down because they can stay hot for a long time.