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Here we go again. Boom, crackle, sizzle, pop …. Oooooh, ahhhhhhh. Yep, it’s time for the familiar sounds of fireworks season.

We’re taking this moment, however, to offer something else you hear every year about this time — “be careful.”

Please.

The legal sale of fireworks in Medford began with the turn of the calendar and lasts until July 6. But, just because something’s legal — and, admittedly, fun — doesn’t mean we should act with impunity when celebrating the extended Fourth of July weekend.

We all know the drill about which fireworks can be used, and where they can be used, without fear of penalty. We know we’re supposed to play it safe, particularly around children and areas vulnerable to catching on fire. Fireworks trigger more than 19,500 wildfires a year, according to the National Fire Protection Association — not to mention the ones started when embers find their way onto the roofs and porches of our, or our neighbors’, homes.

And, speaking of our neighbors, it’s best to remember that one person’s paying tribute to bombs bursting in air might not set well with those living nearby.

Last year on the holiday, 125 fireworks-related calls and 13 noise complaints were made to the Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon dispatch facility.

Unfortunately — or fortunately, for those whose actions precipitated those calls — no citations were issued. Medford police said that many of the calls are made anonymously and don’t cite the address of the fireworks offenders.

Also, police said, many of the fireworks causing the complaints are aerial and harder to track to their launching site. Such fireworks are illegal for private citizens to launch across Oregon and can be cause for $2,500 fines. None of which will serve as a deterrent to those who feel compelled to light up the sky.

Alternatives are available for those needing a fireworks fix.

Central Point’s BoomFest, held at The Expo, promises to be “shooting off fireworks … higher than ever before” beginning at dusk on the holiday itself.

Additionally, the event will include a Citizen Fireworks Zone, where the community can safely, and legally, participate under the protective eye of firefighters from Jackson County Fire District 3.

Some communities outside Jackson County are even offering events that might be worth considering being held locally.

Lake Oswego, for instance, is holding what it’s calling a Fourth of July Illumination Celebration — at which, instead of fireworks, the skies above the city will be brightened by a professional laser light display.

“One of the biggest impacts is we’re not going to have the effect on animals and pets and there won’t be debris that falls out of the sky,” said Ivan Anderholm, director of Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation. “There’s not going to be the opportunity for cinders to catch things on fire.”

In other words, a focus on prevention.

We get it, we really do. There’s an unmistakable thrill that comes with the festivities that celebrate this holiday. We also know that a number of the outlets operating fireworks sales do so as a benefit for child- and church-based charities.

So, play it smart folks — for yourself, and those around you. We’ll reconvene next year around the same time, with the same message. In the meantime, have a happy, and safe, Fourth of July weekend.