Fireworks Safety

Fireworks are fun. They're also explosives. A 30-second read here keeps you and your family out of the ER on July 5th.

Tennessee law in plain English

• You must be 18 or older to buy consumer fireworks in Tennessee. We card every customer, every time. No exceptions.
• Retail sales are limited to two windows: June 20 – July 5 and December 10 – January 2. Outside those dates, online checkout is automatically locked.
• Use them on your own property or with the property owner's explicit permission. Public roads, parks, and public spaces are illegal.
• Some cities ban fireworks entirely. Check your municipality before you light. Ashland City and most of unincorporated Cheatham County allow consumer fireworks; Nashville/Davidson County does not.

Before you light

• Set up at least 20 feet from any structure, dry brush, vehicles, or spectators. For larger 500g cakes and reloadable shells, push that to 40 feet.
• Have a bucket of water within arm's reach. Have a hose ready too if your spigot is close.
• Sober shooter. Whoever is lighting fuses should not be drinking. Period. Have someone else man the lighter if there's beer in your hand.
• Wear safety glasses. Most ER fireworks injuries are to the eyes and hands. Cheap drugstore glasses are enough.
• One person lights, others watch. No crowding around the firing zone.

While shooting

• Light one item at a time, then walk away — don't run, don't trip. Watch from a safe distance.
• Never hold a lit firework in your hand. Roman candles included. Set them on the ground.
• Sparklers burn at 1,200°F. Hot enough to ignite clothing. Hold them away from your body and out of kids' reach until they're ready to use them. Drop spent sparklers in the water bucket.
• Never aim at people, animals, or property. Goes without saying.

If a firework doesn't go off (a "dud")

1. Wait 20 minutes. Don't approach it. Most "duds" are slow fuses, not dead fuses.
2. Soak it in water. Drop the entire device into your water bucket. Leave it overnight.
3. Dispose of it wet. Wrap in plastic and put it in the trash the next morning.
4. Never try to relight it. The biggest source of fireworks-related hand injuries is people leaning over duds that suddenly fire.

After the show

• Spray down used cake tubes and finale racks before leaving them.
• Soak every spent firework in water overnight before throwing it out.
• Walk your firing zone in the morning. Brass casings and unburned debris are hot longer than you think.

Emergency

Burns, eye injuries, or fires — call 911 first. Then call us at (615) 517-9053 if you need product info for the doctor or fire department. We keep records of every batch we sell.