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  Fireworks Safety



      July 1, 2009

     Enjoying fireworks displays at dusk is synonymous with Fourth of July Celebrations, however,Sheriff Dale R. Gribler Van Buren County Sheriff, Dale Gribler, wants to remind area residents that fireworks can be deadly.
     Last year more than 10,000 people were injured by fireworks, with children under the age of 15 accounting for one-third of those injuries. In Michigan, a Melvindale mother of three was killed on July 4, 2007 after being struck by a commercially made firework.
     There are two classes of fireworks. Class B fireworks are manufactured for use in the professional displays like the one put on in our local cities and villages. These fireworks are illegal in the state of Michigan without a permit. Class C fireworks are the kind commonly sold in stores for consumer use. Examples of Class C fireworks include paper caps, toy trick noise makers, sparklers, fountains, toy snakes and toy smoke devices. No permit is needed for these fireworks.
    
If you are unsure whether your fireworks are class B or C, follow this one simple guideline:  if it makes a loud bang or leaves the ground, then it is illegal, said Sheriff Gribler. The most important thing you can do is to educate your family and set a good example.

Sheriff Gribler offers the following guidelines for the safe use of fireworks for at-home displays:

  • Stay away from illegal explosives.

  • Obey the local and state laws and USE COMMON SENSE.

  • Read the fireworks instructions and follow them. If an item looks damaged, don’t use it

  • Purchase fireworks only from reputable dealers or stores. Legal fireworks are tested as to quality and safety. Never attempt to build your own fireworks or use illegal explosives such as M-80’s or Cherry Bombs.

  • A responsible adult should supervise all firework usage. When used properly, all fireworks can be safe.

  • Fireworks are meant to be used one at a time. Do not combine or mix fireworks at the same time because fuses have different burn rates. Actions like this invite accidents.

  • Use fireworks outdoors only, away from houses and vehicles.

  • Never point or throw fireworks at anyone, including your pets.

  • Remember alcohol and fireworks don’t mix.

  • Use protective eye wear and keep a hose nearby. Don’t try to re-light a DUD, but soak it for 15 minutes and dispose of properly.

Let’s make the Fourth of July a safe holiday by exercising care and common sense when you use fireworks.

Dale R. Gribler, Sheriff
Van Buren County
205 S. Kalamazoo Street
Paw Paw, Michigan  49079
(269) 657-2006
 

  Make summer safe and alcohol free

     Sheriff Dale R. Gribler wants teens in Van Buren County to have fun and memorable experiences at their graduation open houses and summer vacation.  To ensure teens stay safe, Sheriff Gribler wants to remind both teens and their parents that underage drinking is dangerous and against the law.
    
You can’t have a memorable experience at graduation if alcohol clouds your judgment as well as your memory, said Sheriff Gribler. 
    
The consequences of underage drinking are serious, and not always what students or their parents expect.  Every year, underage drinkers kill or seriously injure themselves or others in alcohol-related vehicle crashes.  Others go to jail or receive expensive citations.

In some communities, a partnership between law enforcement and school officials prevents students who have been caught drinking from participating in extracurricular activities.

 

Sheriff Gribler offers the following tips to prevent underage drinking and to keep this year’s end of school celebrations safe for everyone in Van Buren County.

Parents and other adults must remember that underage drinking is against the law.  Not only is it a crime to furnish alcohol to someone under 21, it also sends the wrong message to teens.

 

Parents and teens both need to understand that “everybody is doing it” is just plain wrong!  Being liked should never mean giving up your personal responsibility or caving in to social pressures.  Parents have an obligation to set boundaries and tell teens which behaviors are appropriate and which are not.

 

Everyone in a community is responsible for preventing alcohol-related injuries.   Retailers, limousine drivers, hotel owners and others in the community have a responsibility to report suspicious activity to law enforcement.  This includes:  drinking and/or visible intoxication of a youth; someone purchasing a large quantity of alcohol, furnishing alcohol to a minor or a teen using a fake ID; and prom/graduation parties hosted in hotel rooms.

Please keep safe during your end of school year celebrations, urges Sheriff Gribler.  If you are a parent, remain vigilant about what your teen is doing.  By making it inconvenient for kids to drink, you may save a life.

 

  "Click it or Ticket" Mobilization

     Officers from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, Bangor Police Department, Paw Paw Police Department and South Haven Police Department, in conjunction with the Michigan State Police, are cracking down on unbuckled motorists and their passengers as part of the national

Click It or Ticket campaign.
     Local police agencies will conduct a zero tolerance seat belt enforcement campaign and will issue tickets to motorists who are not buckled up throughout Van Buren County.  Violators will be issued a $65 ticket.
    
“Using a seat belt is the simplest way for a motorist and his or her passengers to protect themselves when on the road,” Gribler said. 
     More than a thousand people are killed in Michigan traffic crashes every year.  Many of those deaths could have been prevented simply by buckling up. 
     Officers in Van Buren County will have zones set up during the campaign on M-43 in South Haven and Almena Townships, on M-140 in South Haven Township, on Red Arrow Highway in Antwerp Township, Blue Star Highway in South Haven and Covert Townships, CR 665 in Waverly Township, CR 388 in South Haven Township, and M-51 in Paw Paw Township.

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