This year’s Independence Day will mark a distinct one for the state of Iowa, as the legislation made fireworks legal.

This may cause more people to want to purchase and use fireworks at their residences, including some who may have never used them before.

Washington County Chief Deputy Shawn Ellingson gives precautions for those celebrating the upcoming holiday with fireworks, “Typically what happens is when judgment is impaired you make bad things happen, so obviously you want to watch about mixing fireworks and alcohol. You know if somebody says, ‘Hey, hold my beer while I do this,’ it’s probably a bad idea and you shouldn’t do it.”

Ellingson explains it’s often an individual or small group causing issues, “Typically it’s not an entire group that is celebrating and causing a problem, but if you’re in a group and you know that maybe somebody’s been under the influence, you should really restrict their use with fireworks. People do a lot of things with fireworks that they shouldn’t do and when your reaction time is slow and your judgment is impaired, that’s probably when you’re going to lose a finger, or somebody’s going to get shot at.”

Ellingson says this year will be a learning curve for those using fireworks. He adds, those using fireworks should also be aware of the local ordinances to be in compliance and the law also states you may only set them off on property you own.