SHAWANO, WI – The Fourth of July Holiday weekend offers a lot of fun, but with that comes a strong need for safety practices.
Shawano County Sheriff Adam Bieber says one thing to keep in mind is that there is a lot of travel in the area.
“There will be a lot of traffic on our roadways this weekend,” Bieber said.
He says that means people need to be patient when driving, allow extra time to get to their destination and practice safe driving habits.
Another area that will consist of high volumes of traffic is area waterways.
“A lot of folks are going to be out on the water this weekend,” Bieber said. “We want everyone to have fun and enjoy the waterways we have here, but it needs to be done safely and responsibly.”
The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department will be patrolling the water to make sure that safety and rules are being adhered to.
“We understand that people want to have a good time, but be responsible about who is operating the boat,” Deputy Chris Madle said.”
Anyone born on or after January 1 1989 needs to have boater safety to operate a boat. Nobody under the age of 15 can operate a jet ski unless they have parental supervision and nobody under the age of 12 can operate a jet ski at all.
Madle said they also often check to see if lifejackets are in the kayaks that on the water. “They don’t have to have them on, but they need them in the kayak.”
Madle said staying hydrated with water is important when out on the water.
He says they often see boats that over capacity for the holiday weekend. Boats do have a weight limit and they need to be followed and no overloaded. “Make sure to check the lights on your boats before going out on the water for the fireworks.”
Sheriff Bieber said the waters levels on Shawano Lake are still low and people need to be aware that it can lead to an added danger for people and could lead to boat damage.
Firework safety is another big thing for the weekend.
“Every single year we have people that end up going from having a good weekend to a weekend that leads to injury or jail time, and we don’t want that.”
The Shawano County Sheriff’s Office has offered some firework safety reminders.
-Never allow young children to handle fireworks and older children should have adult supervision when working with fireworks.
-Anyone standing nearby fireworks should wear protective eye ware.
-Fireworks should not be lit off by people who are impaired or under the influence.
-Never light of fireworks indoors or shoot fireworks at people.
-Never hold lighted fireworks in your hand and only light one at a time.
-It is also important not to try to relight fireworks and it is especially important to soak fireworks that were lit off before disposing of them.
-The time of day is also important to keep in mind. It is advised not to shoot off fireworks after most people are in bed.
“Anytime after midnight, we are going to find you and will be issuing a citation because people like a good night’s rest,” Bieber said.
It is also important to remember that fireworks can be scary for dogs or for vets within the community who may have served over seas.
Clintonville Police Chief Craig Freitag says the easiest thing to remember is that if it goes up in the air and goes boom, it is illegal.
“We just want people to be safe,” Freitag says. “We often hear that we are ruining their fun, and we may be, but we are doing it for the right reasons.”
He says, like most departments this weekend, when they investigate fireworks complaints, they will be look for voluntary compliance, and they would likely result in a warning, but they will not be afraid to take further action if needed.
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