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CNN Live At Daybreak
Playing it Safe: Fireworks Celebrations
Aired June 26, 2003 - 06:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is not an early Fourth of July show, this fireworks display was part of the International Freedom Festival celebrating the American-Canadian Friendship. Families on both sides of the border enjoyed the fireworks over the Detroit River.
So now it's time for that demonstration, you know that demo you see every doggone Fourth of July. I know, you already know the dangers, but it is important to be reminded.
CNN's Julie Vallese is here to do that for us. She's live from Washington.
And are you beside a dummy that they're going to -- you are.
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We are here at the base of the Washington Monument where later today they will blow up this house behind me. It's part of the government's annual demonstration on how dangerous fireworks can be if they are misused.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cherry bombs, M80s and 1,000s, some people call them fireworks. They are classified as explosives and in the United States they are illegal for consumer use.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it's not labeled, don't buy it. All consumer fireworks are required to have a label indicating the name of the device, how it will function and cautions for how to use it properly.
VALLESE: Forty-three states and the District of Columbia all allow some kind of consumer or backyard firework, although city and county laws may ban their use.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fireworks are legal in this country. They're -- they can be used safely. They can be a lot of fun. We're not in the business of telling people not to use products that are perfectly legal in this country.
VALLESE: But what the Consumer Product Safety Commission is in the business of is making sure products are used safely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first thing is you want to make sure you take care of your kids. You don't want little kids handling any kind of fireworks.
VALLESE: Also, the commission and the industry stress read and follow the directions, make sure people and pets are out of firework range, never try to relight fireworks and use common sense. If it seems dangerous, it probably is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now around the Fourth of July, these are very popular, they are sparklers. They burn at around 1,800 degrees. They also cause more injuries than any other firework, so safety officials also recommend having a bucket of water available to extinguish any fireworks -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So just throw a bucket of water on them and it'll be fine, if it gets out of control I mean.
VALLESE: It's just a way to put out anything that burns, and so it's just an extra safety measure that the industry and the government recommend.
COSTELLO: All right. Julie Vallese, live from Washington this morning, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 26, 2003 - 06:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is not an early Fourth of July show, this fireworks display was part of the International Freedom Festival celebrating the American-Canadian Friendship. Families on both sides of the border enjoyed the fireworks over the Detroit River.
So now it's time for that demonstration, you know that demo you see every doggone Fourth of July. I know, you already know the dangers, but it is important to be reminded.
CNN's Julie Vallese is here to do that for us. She's live from Washington.
And are you beside a dummy that they're going to -- you are.
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We are here at the base of the Washington Monument where later today they will blow up this house behind me. It's part of the government's annual demonstration on how dangerous fireworks can be if they are misused.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cherry bombs, M80s and 1,000s, some people call them fireworks. They are classified as explosives and in the United States they are illegal for consumer use.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it's not labeled, don't buy it. All consumer fireworks are required to have a label indicating the name of the device, how it will function and cautions for how to use it properly.
VALLESE: Forty-three states and the District of Columbia all allow some kind of consumer or backyard firework, although city and county laws may ban their use.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fireworks are legal in this country. They're -- they can be used safely. They can be a lot of fun. We're not in the business of telling people not to use products that are perfectly legal in this country.
VALLESE: But what the Consumer Product Safety Commission is in the business of is making sure products are used safely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first thing is you want to make sure you take care of your kids. You don't want little kids handling any kind of fireworks.
VALLESE: Also, the commission and the industry stress read and follow the directions, make sure people and pets are out of firework range, never try to relight fireworks and use common sense. If it seems dangerous, it probably is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now around the Fourth of July, these are very popular, they are sparklers. They burn at around 1,800 degrees. They also cause more injuries than any other firework, so safety officials also recommend having a bucket of water available to extinguish any fireworks -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So just throw a bucket of water on them and it'll be fine, if it gets out of control I mean.
VALLESE: It's just a way to put out anything that burns, and so it's just an extra safety measure that the industry and the government recommend.
COSTELLO: All right. Julie Vallese, live from Washington this morning, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
