4th of July Fireworks Safety
Tomorrow is Independence Day, the Forth of July. One of our traditions is to watch fireworks displays or shoot them off ourselves. In 2006, 9,200 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. The trend in fireworks-related injuries has been mostly up since 1996, with spikes in 2000-2001, primarily due to celebrations around the advent of a new millennium. The highest injury rates were for children aged 10 to 14. 75% of all injured were male.
Most fireworks injuries involve burns, but there were also contusions, lacerations and other types of injuries. Let’s look at some safety precautions if you’re around fireworks:
Be Prepared, before you light fireworks:
- Use legal fireworks, available at licensed outlets.
- Store fireworks out of children’s reach.
- Keep pets safe indoors.
- Always keep water handy.
Be Safe, when lighting fireworks:
- Only adults should light fireworks.
- Only use outdoors.
- Do not throw fireworks or hold in your hand.
- Protect your eyes.
- Light one firework at a time and move away quickly.
- Never relight a “dud”.
Be Responsible after you finish:
- Soak used fireworks in water.
- Be considerate--clean up used fireworks.
- Keep matches and lighters away from children.
HAVE A SAFE AND FUN FOURTH OF JULY!