Officials Offer Fireworks Safety Tips Ahead Of July 4
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - With commercial fireworks now legal in Pennsylvania, officials have issued warnings about using them on the Fourth of July.
Pittsburgh Police Bomb Squad officers demonstrated the power of the higher-grade pyrotechnics Wednesday morning.
Last fall, state lawmaker passed a law allowing people to buy and use the full line of fireworks that follow federal guidelines.
Doctors say they are expecting an increase in the number of emergency room visits because of fireworks.
"I think that there's a false safety that people project when you say that a firework is legal. So, none of them are safe and certainly we wouldn't want any children to be around them," Dr. Jenny Ziembicki, of UPMC Mercy's Burn Center, said.
However, there is an additional 12 percent tax on fireworks. That money will go toward a fund for first responders.