Keep safety first when having fun with fireworks Published June 25, 2009 HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Nearly 10,000 people are injured each year in the United States from fireworks. Many of these injuries result from the use of illegal fireworks or misusing legal fireworks. As we approach the Independence Day weekend and you purchase your fireworks, make sure that they are legal in your area and that you follow all of the warnings and instructions that come on the packaging. The National Council on Fireworks Safety has a Web site (http://www.fireworksafety.com) that includes a directory of what is not legal in Utah. We are now five weeks into the Critical Days of Summer and the Air Force has already sustained numerous fatalities. As of the 10th of June five people had lost their lives - three of them in motor vehicle accidents and two in motorcycle accidents. Learn from these lessons, drive carefully, and wear your seatbelt. Each week of the Critical Days of Summer has been given a focus area on which to concentrate. Supervisors, leaders, and wingmen should reinforce these safety principles as we continue through the summer. Additional resources on each of these topics can be found on the AFMC Safety Community of Practice site at https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/ASPs/docman/DOCMAIN.asp?Tab=0&FolderID=OO-SE-MC-01-47-4-9&Filter=OO-SE-MC-01. Weekly Focus Areas June 24-30 - Boating Safety July 1-6 - Firework Safety July 7-13 - Summer Heat Safety July 14-20 - Preventing Alcohol Mishaps July 21-27 - Defensive Driving July 28- Aug. 3 - Grilling/BBQ Safety Let's get into the habit of looking at the risks of our activities and implementing plans and actions to reduce or eliminate those risks.