Keep safety first when having fun with fireworks

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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.