Summer means picnics, barbecues, parades and fireworks displays — especially around the 4th of July.
Unfortunately, it also means an increase in injuries from backyard grills and fireworks. Even more unfortunately, just over one-third of those are children under 15 years old. And the reason for those emergency room trips were fireworks many people consider relatively safe. One-third were related to small firecrackers, 21% to bottle rockets and another 20% to sparklers.
Here are tips to help you avoid an unscheduled trip to the doctor on the 4th:
- Never allow young children to handle fireworks
- Only allow older children to use fireworks under adult supervision
- Make sure you are lighting fireworks in a clear area away from onlookers, houses and flammable materials
- Light on firework at a time
- Do not allow anyone in your group to run or rough house while fireworks are being used
- Never ignite devices in a container
- If a firework malfunctions, do not try to re-light them. Instead, soak them with water and dispose of them safely
- Always keep a bucket of water nearby to fully extinguish fireworks that don’t go off or in case of fire
Better yet — enjoy this 4th of July watching a public fireworks display put on by professionals and relax!