Fourth of July fireworks safety tips: 'Have common sense'

CALEDONIA, Wis. - We are just days away from the Fourth of July, and there will be plenty of fireworks. The fun tradition can easily turn dangerous if you don't take some safety precautions.

"Every year, we go up and up on our fireworks," said Demara Schafer. "We also celebrate different family members that we have lost, so we just go bigger and bigger every year."

While Schafer lights fireworks for memorials, others grace Phantom Fireworks' isles in Caledonia, looking for the perfect pop. In the words of Ryley Harlow, manager of Phantom Fireworks, safety should come first.

"We’ve been pretty busy so far," Harlow said. "At the end of the day, fireworks are dangerous. You gotta have common sense when using them."

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Phantom Fireworks doesn’t recommend that children handle any kind of fireworks, especially sparklers, as they can reach temperatures as high as 1,000° F. 

"Adults only, They should only be the ones using fireworks, even sparklers," said Harlow. "It should strictly be adults lighting them." 

Phantom recommends having water nearby, keeping 150 feet between aerial fireworks once you light them and bracing fireworks with bricks.

Schafer told us her family follows those guidelines.

"We have everyone on the sidewalk, and then we just do it all in the street," said Schafer.

All fireworks are considered illegal to purchase and discharge within the city of Milwaukee.

If you want to leave the fireworks to the professionals, we have a list of this year's Independence Day fireworks displays here.

For more information involving fireworks and what to do if a disaster happens, go to fireworks.com/safety.