YELLOW SPRINGS — There are better ways to celebrate our Independence, believes Clint Corfman.
When it was time for general announcements at a recent Sunday morning meeting of the Yellow Springs Society of Friends, Corfman rose to discourage the use of fireworks for the upcoming Fourth of July.
The 36-year-old man, who now lives in Tampa, is spending the summer in his native Yellow Springs. Though he grew up attending fireworks displays, he said in the past decade he has changed his views.
Corfman detailed a variety of reasons he’s now against the traditional holiday explosives — reasons ranging from safety and litter issues to the glorification of war symbolized by “the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air.”
“A lot of people unknowingly injure themselves or their families,” he said. “And the whole concept of fireworks is intensive litter — we explode all this stuff — and leave it on the ground as litter.”
Bottle rocket stems, he said, are a good example.
After 9/11, Corfman said, he realized the toxic odors described by witnesses were the smells of explosives.
“It’s just unnecessary contamination,” he insists.
His views, he said, were originally triggered by the fearful reaction to fireworks by his golden retriever, Reba.
“It always took her a long time to get over it,” he said.
Safety-expert Debra Holtzman can see Corfman’s point. The South Florida resident is the author of “The Safe Baby: A Do It Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living” (Sentient Publications, $16.95). A specialist on the subject of injury prevention, green living and toxic chemicals, her new book includes a section on fireworks.
“I know there are 4,000 fireworks-related injuries that happen to children under the age of 14 in America each year,” Holtzman said. “I think professional shows are fine if they are done responsibly and people aren’t going to get hurt.”
But she said fireworks do create a “smoky smell,” and also advises earplugs for young children because loud noises can be damaging to their ears. And the larger shows, she said, do create a lot of trash.
“On your way back from an event, you see the ones they blow up all over the ground,”she said.
Holtzman’s primary concern is an amateur’s backyard fireworks display.
“People think sparklers are innocuous, and they’re often considered the safest,” she says. “But they can heat up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, and that’s hot enough to melt gold. It can ignite your little one’s clothing.”
Holtzman said sparklers remain hot for a while and a bucket of water should always be kept nearby.
Jay Williams of Cincinnati said Corfman’s arguments may make sense, but it won’t keep her from enjoying a large fireworks show on the Fourth of July.
“You can take anything to extremes and strip all the joy out of your life,” she said. “Fireworks are fun entertainment and we’re only talking about once a year.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
