With another major holiday on the horizon, officials are advising people to use caution during travel and celebrations.
Drinking, homicides and fireworks are some of the top concerns for law enforcement and fire officials during the New Year’s holiday.
Drinking and homicides
New Year’s Eve is a major drinking holiday, and state and local law enforcement will be out and watching to try to curb impaired driving.
“It’s a traditional holiday where there’s going to be some parties and things like that,” said Mississippi Highway Patrol Master Sgt. Criss Turnipseed. “We’ll be out doing our impaired driving awareness. We’re doing the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. That will be an emphasis, along with seat belts and all the other things we have, to keep an eye out for.”
Turnipseed said MHP will use whatever manpower is available for the holiday and may deploy additional checkpoints during the holiday.
“Extra awareness, to me, is more aimed at the public than us,” he said. “If the public thinks about, ‘Well, I need to be a little bit more careful because there’s going to be more law enforcement,’ then that works. … If it puts the thought in people’s minds before they drive, that helps.”
Locally, Columbus Police Chief Oscar Lewis said he anticipates having more officers out during the holiday, too. Much like state officers, Lewis said impaired drivers are a major concern for CPD during the holidays. CPD will also participate in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.
“It’s some of the same concerns we had for the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays,” he said. “Drinking and driving is a big part of it. We want to encourage people to get designated drivers and not drink and drive.”
Lewis also advised partygoers to be aware of their surroundings. He said big gatherings and alcohol can create the potential for trouble.
Homicides in Columbus have occurred within days of New Year’s Eve — One occurred on Jan. 3 this year and another happened a few minutes after midnight on Jan. 1, 2015.
“When they have these large gatherings of people, there’s more potential for conflict,” Lewis said. “That’s a concern, with the drinking and partying that happen and all the people that come together.”
Fireworks
Fireworks are often a regular part of New Year’s celebrations, and they can be dangerous.
According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), 10 percent of fireworks fires happen between Dec. 30 and Jan. 3, with the most occurring on New Year’s Day.
Fireworks are forbidden inside Columbus and Starkville city limits.
Columbus Fire and Rescue spokesman Anthony Colom encouraged residents not to use fireworks in the city. He advised those who do use fireworks elsewhere to be careful with them.
“We’ve had grass fires started as a result of fireworks,” Colom said. “We’ve had quite a few injuries where people have had to go to the hospital, especially young kids who aren’t of age to be doing it anyway.”
Starkville Fire Marshal Mark McCurdy said recent rains should help prevent fires. However he, like Colom, urged caution with fireworks use because of the drought.
He said never point fireworks at someone else and always follow manufacturer guidelines.
“If you light a fuse on a firework and, for whatever reason, it doesn’t go off like you expect, don’t walk up and try to relight it,” he said. “Just let it go.”
McCurdy also said not to hold fireworks in your hand. According to the NFPA, hand or finger injuries are the most common with fireworks, accounting for 36 percent of reported injuries.
Head, ear and face injuries account for 19 percent of reported injuries, as do eye injuries.
McCurdy further warned that sparklers, while seemingly innocuous, burn at more than 2,000 degrees and can be very dangerous. Sparklers account for more than one out of four emergency room visits, according to the NFPA.
He also said to shoot fireworks near water, if possible, or to have water on hand and do not use fireworks while under the influence.
“Don’t mix alcohol and fireworks,” he said. “They don’t go together.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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