If you celebrate Independence Day with your own fireworks show, you will be personally liable if anything goes wrong.  So, here is some information about how to cover your liability plus safety tips and a quiz to keep your show safe for everyone concerned.

Fireworks are fun and dangerous!
Whether “Safe & Sane” or fired by professionals, fireworks must be handled with care.  Family fun can turn into tragedy in a flash.  Each year over 8,000 people are injured by fireworks and more fires are reported on the 4^th of July than on any other day.  A study In 2005 found fireworks caused an estimated 1,800 total structure fires, 700 vehicle fires, $39 million in direct property damage, 10,800 people were treated in the ER, and 4 persons died.

Fireworks and your personal liability -
Any incident of injury or property damage creates serious liability issues for adults and parents of children.  If you have a Homeowners or Tenants (renters) insurance policy it will provide you coverage under Section II, Coverage E -Personal Liability. If you have this coverage you have protection for the personal activities of all “insureds” (you, family members, and others under age 21 living with you) that may accidently cause bodily injury or property damage to others.  Coverage applies anywhere in the world, not just at your residence premises. And, there are no exclusions regarding the consumer use of fireworks (Safe & Sane or even illegal ones) but there can be a troublesome exclusion that comes into play with children over the age of 12 that may use poor judgment with fireworks.

Expected or intended injury or property damage is excluded.  Generally speaking, insurance companies excuse the actions of children age 12 and under for poor judgment but not your teenagers. So, if your teenager helps blow up the neighbor’s mailbox with M-80’s don’t expect coverage. If they should have known the fireworks would burn down the shed/house/dry field/forest  - don’t expect coverage.  If they….OK, you get the idea.  However, any circumstance that is a genuine accident will be a covered liability loss up to the limits of your policy. You may want to consider increasing your Homeowners Personal Liability limit to $500,000. The cost is usually less than $20 per year.

Fireworks Safety Tips -
Learn and follow some common sense fireworks safety basics to protect your family from injury and you from liability claims.  Even with the best planning accidents can happen but fireworks and unsupervised children/teens are accidents waiting to happen.    

• NEVER ALLOW YOUNG CHILDREN TO HANDLE FIREWORKS. Sparklers burn at such high temperatures that they can burn clothing. An 8-year-old girl received second and third degree burns to her leg when a spark from a sparkler she was holding ignited her dress.

• KEEP FIREWORKS OUT OF REACH OF YOUNG CHILDREN. A 7-year-old boy lost half of his left hand, including his fingers when he lit an M-80 he found hidden in a family bedroom.

• OLDER CHILDREN SHOULD USE FIREWORKS ONLY UNDER CLOSE ADULT SUPERVISION
• LIGHT FIREWORKS OUTDOORS IN A CLEAR AREA AWAY FROM ONLOOKERSHOUSES AND FLAMMABLE MATERIALS
• ALWAYS HAVE WATER HANDY (A HOSE OR BUCKETS OF WATER)
• THE SHOOTER SHOULD WEAR SAFETY GLASSES.
• LIGHT ONE DEVICE AT A TIME; MAINTAIN A SAFE DISTANCE AFTER LIGHTING
• SPECTATORS SHOULD KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE SHOOTER
• NEVER RE-LIGHT A “DUD” FIREWORK (WAIT 20 MINUTES AND THEN SOAK IT IN A BUCKET OF WATER)
• DO NOT ALLOW ANY RUNNING OR HORSEPLAY WHILE FIREWORKS ARE BEING USED
• ONLY USE FIREWORKS AS INTENDED. DO NOT TRY TO ALTER THEM OR COMBINE THEM. THE RESULTS COULD BE FATAL.
• NEVER IGNITE DEVICES IN A CONTAINER.
• OBEY LOCAL LAWS.
• REPORT ILLEGAL EXPLOSIVES TO THE FIRE OR POLICE DEPARTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

Fireworks Safety Quiz –
Think you’ve got it?  Take the test and find out.  Click Fireworks Safety Quiz from Safe Kids USA.

Click here for more Fireworks Safety Tips from the AmerInd  Risk Management Corp.