St. Joseph Fire Department urges fireworks safety ahead of Fourth of July

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Typical Fourth of July celebrations contain fireworks, but the festivities can quickly become dangerous without proper safety precautions.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2025 there were 15 reported fireworks-related deaths, most involving misuse and device misfire/malfunctions.

An estimated 13,000 fireworks-related injuries were reported last year.

A temporary fire inspector with the St. Joseph Fire Department said the biggest firework safety concern the department handles is kids playing with fireworks and disposing of fireworks.

"Little kids love to hang on to fireworks. That can obviously be an issue if they are running around or trying to shoot each other with bottle rockets," said Sean Mcghee. "The firework would go off in their hand that would usually require a medical emergency. One of the second biggest issues we have is people that don't dispose of the fireworks properly. Either they light all the fireworks and pile them up, and leave them unattended for the rest of the night. The pile of fireworks would catch on fire."

The most common mistake people make when it comes to lighting fireworks is not using them for their intended purpose.

"They don't sit it on a flat surface; they try to hold it. Anytime you have it on your person, it creates more of a safety hazard if you were to do it the right way," Mcghee said.

Mcghee offered tips on what families should do before lighting fireworks.

"Always have water on hand just in case you need to put something out. It's always best to douse the fireworks before you try to throw them away. The other big thing would be if a firework doesn't go off initially, don't mess with it, play with it or try to get it to light. Leave it alone, douse it in water and let it rest. Make sure it's a dud before you accidentally get to set off and you weren't prepared for that to happen.

Mcghee said kids especially need to be properly educated on how to handle fireworks.

"If you just hand them fireworks and give them something to light them and say, ' Go have fun,'" he said. "You're gonna have more problems than if you actually teach them how to play with the firework in the first place."

If you don't plan on lighting your own fireworks, the City of St. Joseph will be hosting its own 4th of July celebration near the Shoppes at North Village.