4th of July Activities
On July fourth 2010 The City of Norman will hold their
annual fireworks demonstration at Reaves Park,
the show begins at 9:45 p.m. Reaves
Park is located at Jenkins Street and
Constitution in Norman. Prior to that public festivities will
begin at 2:00 pm with activities for the family such as pony rides, food vendors and games galore. Two bands will play, The
first, “Scott King and the Blue Collar Boys” will perform from 3:00 pm until
5:30 pm then the band “Souled Out” will perform from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm.
Around 8:00 pm there will be a Tribute to Vietnam Veterans complete will a fly
over by F-16s. The Fireworks presentation will begin around 9:45. 2010 will be
special because Operation Oklahoma’s (a veterans advocacy organization) added
contribution to the celebration has increased the amount of product (fireworks)
making for a longer pyrotechnics display.
The City of Norman wants everyone to have a safe and happy
Fourth of July and leave the fireworks to the professionals. Everyone is invited
to join the community celebration which features a colorful, professional
fireworks display. Selling or purchasing fireworks within the City limits of
Norman is
illegal. Discharging fireworks within the City of Norman is illegal without having first received
a Special Permit issued by the Norman Fire Department. This Special Permit is
restricted for use by professional fireworks groups only.
Each July
Fourth, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while
using consumer fireworks. Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people
understand the associated risks - devastating burns, other injuries, fires, and
even death.
In 2008, 7,000 fireworks-related injuries were treated
in U.S. hospital emergency
rooms.
The trend in fireworks-related injuries has been mostly
up since 1996, except for spikes
in 2000-2001, primarily due to celebrations around the
advent of a new millennium, and
in 2005, and a sharp drop in 2008, the latest year with
complete statistics. The highest
injury rates were for teens aged 15 to 19 and children
aged 5 to 9. In 2008, an estimated
22,500 reported fires were started by fireworks. These
fires resulted in one civilian
death, 40 civilian injuries and $42 million in direct
property damage. In 2008, five out of
six (84%) emergency room fireworks injuries involved
fireworks that Federal regulations
permit consumers to use. The risk of fire death relative
to exposure shows fireworks to
be the riskiest consumer
product.