Fireworks danger is highest now
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NORWICH - More than two-thirds of all fireworks-related injuries occur between June 16 and July 16, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you are going to use them at all, it is important to exercise caution.
Gillian Mosier, RN, Trauma Program Manager at The William W. Backus Hospital, sees many fireworks-related injuries in the Emergency Department during the summer months.
"People love to buy fireworks and use them at home, but they really aren't safe," she said, adding that the most common injuries from fireworks are burns and pieces of the explosives that become impacted in the face.
More than 9,000 people are treated in emergency departments for fireworks- related injuries in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. Some of the injuries are deadly. Other sobering statistics from the CDC include:
- One out of every three people injured were children under 15 years of age.
- About three times as many males are injured than females.
- Young people under 20 sustain nearly half of all injuries from fireworks.
- People actively participating in fireworks-related activities are more frequently and severely injured than bystanders.
"If a firework doesn't explode, the reaction is to go look at it to see what went wrong. This is when the explosive might unintentionally detonate in someone's face," Ms. Mosier said.
The National Council on Fireworks Safety and Ms. Mosier offer the following tips to avoid injuries while using fireworks:
- Read all of the cautions and warnings and use common sense.
- Do not light fireworks indoors, throw them from automobiles or light multiple devices at the same time.
- Use fireworks and sparklers only outdoors.
- Children under 12 years of age should not handle sparklers of any type.