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Don't experiment by taking fireworks apart, combining them, or enclosing them in containers. And needless to say, don't eat the fireworks.

Keep water handy. Dunk the dud fireworks; don't try to relight them. By not firing at once, they've already proven their defective status, which makes them more dangerous, not less.

The guidelines are even simpler when attending a public display:

Usually the show is best observed from at least a couple hundred yards away. However, if you're close to the firing site, remain in the designated viewing area. If you're too close, you could be in danger from burning fragments, shells that explode too soon, and duds.

If you find a dud or an unexploded fragment, don't nab it as a souvenir; even dropping it could make it explode. Likewise, don't go prowling the site for souvenirs after the show. Regard it as a minefield until the professionals have checked it for malfunctioning shells.

Don't bring along the family pets. Each year the American Veterinary Medical Association reminds pet owners that fireworks don't just damage animals' hearing. Pets can also be frightened so that they bolt away and get hurt in some other way.

John Grooms contributed to this article.