You can tell the Fourth of July holiday is approaching as the
stands selling fireworks have popped up at nearly every intersection and the
evenings start to become filled with the sounds of booms, bangs and hisses. Enjoy the season, but please be considerate
of others and careful when enjoying fireworks.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 200
people PER DAY in the United States end up in an emergency room for treatment
for a fireworks related injuries in the month around the Fourth of July. In fact 60% of all fireworks injuries for the
whole year occur in a 30 day span surrounding July 4th!
As parents we can allow our children to enjoy fireworks but we
need to be vigilant about supervising and maintaining safety around them. Too many parents are being too lax when it
comes to fireworks. The numbers when it
comes to childhood injuries involving fireworks are troubling. According to the CPSC, 29% of fireworks
injuries reported involve children 0 – 14.
Another 15% of injuries involve the ages of 15-19. So almost half of ALL injures involving
fireworks impact children.
Of the injuries suffered I found it interesting that only 1%
involved arms thought that number would have been higher – the majority of
injuries are to hands and fingers 41% with injuries to the head being the
second most common with 19%. More than
HALF of ALL injuries were from BURNS so remember that sparklers can be
dangerous if not handled responsibly too.
The most common firework injuries are from firecrackers accounting for
23% of injuries with sparklers and bottle rockets tied for second place each
with 12%.
The CPSC has put
together a nice illustration with this information: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2013/06/cpsc-science-fireworks-injuries-2013-update/
I remember running around the front yard with sparklers as a kid
and blowing up firecrackers with my dad as a kid. We have some fun with our kids enjoying
fireworks now too. The numbers involving
injuries though are troubling and very preventable. I’m pointing out this information today so we
can all come together to try and make the Fourth of July safer for
children. Every kid should associate the
Fourth of July with a fun experience enjoying fireworks rather than a terrible
trip to the hospital or even worse a long-term injury or scar that they will
associate with the holiday for the rest of their lives.
With that in mind here are some useful safety tips from the
CPSC:
- Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
- Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
- Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals.
- Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
- Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
- Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
- Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
- Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
- After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.
- Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
From my family to
yours we are wishing everyone an enjoyable and safe Fourth of July. Happy Birthday America!
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