Fire crews encourage safety using fireworks, grills, bonfires this Memorial Day weekend

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Memorial Day is a holiday meant to remember and spend time with loved ones.

It’ll be a weekend that includes a lot of sunshine, fireworks, bonfires and some barbecue.

There’ll also be increased risk for damage from those fireworks.

“The fire service industry as a whole has come out against consumers going out lighting off their own fireworks,” said Meridian Township Fire Marshal Tavis Millerov. “So we always say look just leave it to the professionals.”

Of course if you choose to light them off on your own, that’s allowed only between 11 A.M. and 11:45 P.M. on Memorial Day as well as the preceding Saturday and Sunday.

Make sure you’re not lighting them off while under the influence, and be aware of your surroundings.

“Understand the environment, the surroundings around you,” said Millerov. “We’ve got all this nice weather now, we could be looking at starting some drought conditions here if we don’t get some rain soon.”

Be careful when using sparklers; getting kids involved in fireworks is always risky business. One third of fireworks-related incidents involve children under 15.

Another great activity for the Memorial Day Holiday is grilling out. Whether it’s burgers, steaks, or even just a few simple hot dogs, The best thing to do is make sure your grill is safe for use in the summer.

After sitting in the elements all winter, Meridian Township Fire Marshal Tavis Millerov says a grill could malfunction fairly easily.

“Take a look at it before you use it. Maybe fire it up and see that it’s burning correctly,” said Millerov. “Make sure there are flames are coming from the parts that the flames are supposed to come from. If you’ve got holes in the manifold, the burners, if they don’t look right, it’s not burning right, don’t use it, you know, put it away.”

Millerov says you can easily get some replacement parts at your local home improvement store or Amazon for your grill if you need them. It’s also wise to keep the grill ten feet from anything that could catch fire.

There’s almost nothing better than a nice bonfire on a clear night while camping. But while roasting your marshmallows, you need to be careful.

This is the fifth driest month of May. We’ve had on record less than an inch of rain since the 1st. Any bad move could be disastrous.

Millerov says keep that fire 15 feet or more away from trees, houses, or anything else that could catch fire, and be aware for any stray embers or potential hazards.

“Pay attention don’t make it too big,” said Millerov. “We don’t like seeing fires that are big enough to see from space. So just kind of keeping on the down low and enjoy it, you know, we understand why people like to go out and do that roast some marshmallows tell stories do whatever around the campfire and that’s fine.”

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