Fourth of July Safety in Maple Grove

As festivities unfold this Fourth of July, activities will inevitably bring about potentially dangerous situations. Before you set forth for your adventures, planning is necessary to insure the safety of not only yourself but your family and friends as well.  

Sargent Adam Lindquist of the offers up this advice to insure safety: “Be responsible and use overall common sense, which will go a long way. If you are using fireworks be responsible, follow the directions and kids make sure to have adult supervision. But most of all, make sure to enjoy the weekend and the weather.”

In Minnesota, it is illegal to use any fireworks that explode or take flight in any form. Sparklers and other law-friendly fireworks can be found at local stores. If police do receive reports of illegal firework usage, they will confiscate the fireworks. Lindquist said now that the laws are clearly defined as to which fireworks are legal, they have had fewer noise complaints and more peaceful Fourth of July celebrations.

If a situation should arise where a citizen would want to call a non-emergency police line, they can call 763-494-6100. For example, this number could be used to file noise complaints or other reports of non-life threatening situations.

“If you don’t feel safe or if you are really concerned then you should call us,” Lindquist said. “If you have a good neighbor relationship with someone then I would recommend trying to take care of the situation, but also don’t hesitate to call us. We are going to have a lot of activities in neighborhood gatherings over the whole weekend.”

The Maple Grove Police Department is also teaming up with Safe and Sober in addition to police departments in other cities to increase DWI patrol.

Another major safety concern for Minnesotans this Fourth of July are celebrations taking place on lakes. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office will be patrolling the Maple Grove lakes, such as Weaver or Fish Lake. Sheriff Richard Stanek offers up advice for those planning on celebrating out on a boat.

“We ask people to pay particular attention to wearing their life jackets," Stanek said. "Any child under the age of ten has to wear them at all times anyways. When you are in any form of a boat you need to have a life jacket for every person on board - adult or child. Plus, you also have to have a throw-able floating device and a fire extinguisher.” 

Practical applications of caution will keep everyone safe, in and out of the water. 

“We ask people to slow down and pay attention to their surrounding,” Stanek said. “Also, it is very important to designate a safe and sober boat operator. You would be surprised how many people get arrested for a DWI on the lake, which we call a BWI - Boating While Intoxicated.”

The penalties of getting a BWI are the same as getting a DWI: boaters will go to jail and they will have their boat forfeited.

For more information regarding Fourth of July celebrations in Maple Grove and the laws that govern them visit www.ci.maple-grove.mn.us.