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BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) – As the Fourth of July slowly approaches, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s office is encouraging all residents to practice safety when buying and handling fireworks.

Stands are popping up all across cities with more than 500 retail fireworks permits being issued. The state requires business owners to have the proper licenses for operation in the parish’s that legally allow fireworks.

When it comes to families, the Fire Marshal’s Office said its best to make the decision of enjoying public firework display’s over making their own.

If families should buy their own, be mindful of the stand they are purchasing from.

Make sure the stand has the proper permits. You can do so by asking operators to see the information and if there are any suspicious or illegal firework sales in the area, people can call 1-800-256-5452 or visit the fire marshal’s website at lasfm.org.

Also to make sure safety is first, follow these tips:

Detonating devices at least 200 feet away from structures, vehicles and rubbish • Never allowing children to light fireworks • Never operating fireworks while impaired • Lighting devices one at a time and monitoring embers released with a bucket of water or hose nearby • Discarding detonated items by wetting them down to prevent reignition and not disposing of them in a trash container immediately.

“A study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that over 200 people on average go the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday“

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