ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

These words, known as The Preamble, can be found in the The Declaration of Independence, created in July, 1776, and signed by men who sealed our freedom from England and guaranteed we would be a nation free to choose our own government and make our own laws.

When July 4 became a federal holiday 70 years ago in 1941, people access the United States began celebrating with parades, picnics, concerts and of course, fireworks. Baldwin County citizens will have the opportunity to do that as communities have their own celebrations.

Central Baldwin residents can enjoy a fireworks presentation put on by the City of Robertsdale on Monday, July 4 at 8:30 p.m. (or when it gets dark) at Garrett Park in Robertsdale. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs. In the event of rain, the celebration will be held on Tuesday, July 5. Loxley and Silverhill are not having any special events on Monday, according to town officials.

And because of the ongoing drought conditions and recent wildfires in Seminole and Gulf Shores and the burn ban enacted by Governor Bentley last month, there are many precautions that need to be taken as residents prepare to shoot off fireworks over the holiday weekend.

Tony Lovell, Battalion Chief for the Loxley Volunteer Fire Department, advised residents to use caution as they celebrate and gave a few safety tips to remember:

- Don’t point fireworks at another person or in the direction of a group of people or buildings. It could burn or blind them or cause structural damage

- Fireworks can be shot inside the city limits and in unincorporated areas during the evening hours but must stop at 10 p.m. If they go past 10 p.m., it is considered disturbing the peace

- Fireworks can be considered a deadly weapon and if used improperly can kill you.

- Because of the dry conditions of grass, the large Roman Candle and Twister-type fireworks should not be used.

-Limit your use of fireworks and have a water hose and bucket close by because of drought conditions

“We want to keep everyone safe this year and would like to be able to enjoy the holiday with our family and friends too, and not riding around in our fire trucks all weekend,” Lovell said.

According to the National Council on Fireworks Safety, 186 million pounds of consumer fireworks were used in 2008 and three fireworks-related deaths occurred last year, along with 8,600 injuries, 40 percent of those being from kids under 15.

With these type of statistics, the NCFS has suggested some rules to observe:

- Children under the age of 12 should not use sparklers without very close adult supervision

-Never hold a child in your arms while using sparklers

-Never hold or light more than one sparkler at a time

-Always wear shoes when handling sparklers

-Be sure to drop the spent sparkler directly in a bucket of water

-Always stand at least six feet away from another person while using sparklers and never hand a lighted sparkler to another person

-Do not alter or combine fireworks together

In Alabama, the selling period for fireworks are June 20-July 10 and selling from tents or cars is prohibited. A person must be 16 years old to buy fireworks or be accompanied by an adult.

Body parts most injured by fireworks last year were hands and fingers (30 percent), legs, (22 percent), eyes, (21 percent) and head, face and ears (16 percent). Burns were the most common injury to the body while contusions, lacerations and foreign bodies in the eyes occurred more frequently, according to the NCFS website.