A thank you to everyone who helps us celebrate our holidays, festivals safely

We issue our usual kudos to those who spend their fourth of July holiday working - especially those in the safety departments across our area.

In addition to the usual traffic problems, fender benders, routine stops, and domestic calls, each 4th our fire and police and emergency personnel respond to a number of fireworks-related incidents.

From grass fires to accidents, our public safety personnel find themselves with anything but a holiday most years.

And unfortunately, a lot of those calls they are forced to answer arise from our own thoughtlessness.

Year after year, we witness people setting off fireworks unsupervised, and often under conditions ripe for problems, or violating city ordinances.

Our often dry, windy weather is conducive to helping spread fires and creating accidents.

Parking lots aren't immune either, as an occasional overzealous celebrant causes problems for motorists or for building and business owners as the sparks from the poppers and flashers become more than a nuisance.

Each year, we plead for greater understanding and forethought among us as we go about marking the holiday and celebrating our nation's independence.

We are lucky to have the help of volunteer groups and organizations as well as our cities and civic and community organizations and those dedicated individuals in the community that put on the elaborate, larger fireworks demonstrations for all to see.

Such activities occur all across our region. Businesses and individuals contribute to the cause, which provides a safer, happier holiday for all.

We have community-supported public celebrations to enjoy.

We want to take this time to express our appreciation for these efforts in helping make our Fourth a memorable one for the right reasons.

We thank these selfless individuals, from our safety workers to our volunteers, who help us remember this day and make it possible for us to continue our celebrations each year as we mark another year of independence and the freedoms that we enjoy.