Today is the 4th of July and the Marion County Sheriff’s office is reminding all of our local communities to stay safe over the holiday.

Over Independence Day community members should be informed on where it is legal and illegal to shoot off fireworks along with if you are shooting them off to stay safe and respect your neighbors. You should never shoot fireworks close to a structure, around a large group of people, if you’ve been consuming alcohol, or if there are any little kids around. The Sheriff’s Office also wants to stress the importance of not drinking and driving over the holiday. Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt tells KNIA News not only are their severe legal penalties to driving intoxicated, but you are also putting others’ lives at risk. Sheriff Sandholdt says if you are at a holiday gathering, find a designated driver if you have had too much to drink. 

“We want people to enjoy their time with family and friends but we want them to do it responsibility. Get a designated driver. Make sure you know how much you’ve had. A lot of times I’ve talked to someone we’ve pulled over for an OWI and they’ve lost track of how many beers they’ve had or it’s a guestimate and they truly don’t know, or they’re tried to say they’ve had three when they’ve really had eight. People need to keep track of the number of drinks they’ve had and be responsible when it comes to that.”

Hear more about 4th of July safety from Sandholdt on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.