I like fireworks, starting when I was a kid growing up near then-Fort Bragg. The post always put on a show and this year will be no different, according to Fort Liberty.
However, there was a period of time during adulthood when I could take fireworks or leave them.
Then we had children, and the dazzling light shows became fun for me again as we experienced them through our kids’ eyes of wonder.
I think my son, Sam, would turn down the sound of fireworks if hecould — he sometimes puts his hands over his ears even as he enjoys watching them light up the night sky in streamers of color and hazy smoke.
More:A Fayetteville Father’s Day: For Samuel, 11, who answers the question, Who needs A.I.?
Neighborhood fireworks ‘festivals’
I am conscious that for some people, and some pets, the crackle and booms cannot be turned down enough. Fireworks can be upsetting and even traumatic for people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which as we know, afflicts many around here in our military community.
Then, too, I have noticed that fireworks are not just on the Fourth anymore and have not been for a while. They seem to go on for days. I don’t just mean that certain official fireworks events fall on different days around July Fourth — I mean that folks with home fireworks turn the week of the Fourth into a weeklong — and sometimes weekslong — festival.
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City resident Tracey Ryals has noticed, too — and how. She said fireworks in southwest Cumberland where she lives were “out of control.”
Ryals emailed in response to a post I made on NextDoor, asking people for their thoughts. There was already an active discussion going on.
“It usually lasts for a week to two weeks and it feels like a war zone," she said. "The walls in my house were shaking last year.”
Fireworks are detrimental to PTSD survivors, pets and wildlife, Ryals said. She said some of the fireworks she hears are “commercial-grade” and illegal to use in the city.
“Last year I found a dead nestling who had fell out of the nest and died in my front yard,” she said.
She concluded: “I don’t even like fireworks anymore.”
Trauma reminders
For some veterans with PTSD, Ryals’ war zone analogy may sound familiar.
“Fireworks can be a trauma reminder for those who served in combat or went through a fire, explosion or gun violence. Whether expected or unexpected, fireworks can cause distress,” states a National Center for PTSD webpage at the site for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Even people in a safe setting can still feel “cued” or “triggered” to react, the site continues.
Examples of distress could include strong reactions to fireworks’ sounds or ceremonial or cannon fire; feeling on edge, jittery or jumpy, or feeling easily startled by loud noises; feeling emotionally numb or distant; feeling powerless or blind-sided; or turning to drugs or alcohol to “push away unwanted thoughts.”
So what to do?
The National Center for PTSD advises sufferers to manage the impact of the fireworks by acknowledging that the sights, smells, sounds and settings match a past event but are not a current threat.
Tips to manage fireworks include working on self-care before the event, including “good sleep, breathing techniques, journaling, mindfulness (and) limiting alcohol.”
Other advice includes learning beforehand if an event includes fireworks; bringing earplugs or headphones to events that do include fireworks; and focusing on the present when certain dates or events come around. There are also breathing and other techniques for when people find themselves in an unexpected encounter with fireworks.
“It may feel more comfortable to avoid these events,” the Center for PTSD advises. “This is a short-term fix that may worsen the problem over time.”
July 5: Busy day for dog-catchers
Some pets are stressed by fireworks, too. How stressed?
July 5 is the busiest day every year for animal control nationwide, says Jackie Peery, director of the nonprofit pet rescue, Fayetteville Animal Protection Society on Bragg Boulevard.
That is because animals have a flight or fight instinct.
With fireworks “there’s nothing to fight … So the natural thing is to run. Dogs that you don’t think would ever escape your yard, will somehow figure out a way.”
FAPS staffers have their own plan for getting their on-site pets ready to deal with the Fourth, Peery said. It includes making sure the larger dogs, many of whom are on a patio with an indoor and outdoor area, will be kept indoors for the night.
The staff already plays music throughout the facility overnight as part of daily care.
And they walk the dogs. And walk them.
“They just get tired that day,” she said. “We probably almost over-walk them.
“Generally, our animals get walked three or four times a day,” she said.
But on the Fourth, they get walked, get water time, and get calmed with “frozen treats on the inside, to really stimulate them and keep them busy.”
She added that some super-anxious animals need medication.
“That’s not just animals in shelters, that’s really, owned animals as well.”
Take care of pet IDs, microchip
Peery said FAPS is helped by its location in a commercial corridor away from neighborhoods, where they would be subject to residential fireworks.
“Obviously there are fireworks that are going to be going off everywhere, but they’re not too bad in our area,” she said.
Pet owners should get their walks in early and be sure their pets have ID tags and up-to-date microchip information.
“Have a recent photo. I would definitely recommend,” she said.
“I know we all think our fireworks are beautiful, and we may want our dogs and our cats to experience them,” she said. “But no, they don’t want to be involved. We should really keep them indoors and provide a quiet place.”
Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.
