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Dispatch:
269-657-3101
Admin:
269-657-2006 Jail Information: 269-657-2171 |
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Fireworks
Safety |
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July 1, 2009
Enjoying fireworks displays at dusk is synonymous with
Fourth of July Celebrations, however,
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:
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Stay
away from illegal explosives.
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Obey the local and state laws and
USE COMMON SENSE.
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Read the fireworks instructions and follow
them. If an item looks damaged, don’t use it
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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.
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A responsible adult should supervise all
firework usage. When used properly, all fireworks can be safe.
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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.
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Use fireworks outdoors only, away from
houses and vehicles.
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Never point or throw fireworks at anyone,
including your pets.
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Remember alcohol and fireworks don’t mix.
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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
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Make summer safe and alcohol free |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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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