Emergency responders stress safety with fireworks as 4th of July approaches

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) -- Fourth of July celebrations are right around the corner, and there is one thing that emergency responders say they can't stress enough when it comes to fireworks: safety.

"We don't want to see anyone get injured, any structures get damaged, things of that nature,"' Dave March, the chief communication officer of West Chester Borough, said.

"We strongly encourage people to leave the fireworks to professionals," said Justin McClure, who is the deputy director for Fire Services in Chester County.

March and McClure said there are plenty of fireworks shows in the Tri-State area where people can watch the night sky light up.

But despite their plea to keep the fireworks to the professionals, they say they still see it happen in the neighborhoods year after year.

"If you are going to do it, be safe about it," March said. "Be safe for your family. Be safe for yourself and neighbors. We don't want to see anyone get hurt. We want them to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday."

With such dry conditions and little rain, they said any little spark can cause a lot of damage.

"Even with this week's brief rainy weather, we have experienced a very dry June, which has resulted in dry vegetation, and fireworks can easily ignite that," McClure said.

Police want people to think of others who may be affected by the loud sounds.

"You might live near elderly people, people have pets, or even people who have served our country. They are all affected in different ways when fireworks go off," March said.

Firefighters and police said even the mini hand sparklers can be more dangerous than they look.

"They burn at about 2,000 degrees. We always see little kids running around with sparklers. Their attention spans are low so they trip, they turn," March said. "That's a very hot stick in their hand."