The Fourth of July will be filled with picnics, barbecues, parties – and fireworks. While it’s best to leave the fireworks to the professionals, if you do celebrate with fireworks, it’s vital to practice fireworks safety. That way, you’ll avoid any fireworks-related injuries or fires.

According to the medical center’s Emergency and Trauma Center, 10,000 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2019. These included serious burns and eye injuries.

Practice Fireworks Safety

The Consumer Product Safety Commission shares some tips on preventing fireworks-related injuries:

• Never allow 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.

Fireworks are against city and county ordinances in Knoxville and Knox County. If you live outside of Knox County, check with your local city or county for its specific ordinances pertaining to fireworks.

Following the above rules will help prevent fireworks-related injuries and help you have a great Fourth of July.

Fireworks Statistics

• U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated 10,000 people for fireworks injuries in 2019
• 50 percent of those injuries were to children
• In 2018, fireworks caused an estimated 19,500 reported fires; nine percent of these were structure fires that accounted for almost all the fire deaths
• Burns accounted for 44 percent of the fireworks-related injuries around the month of July Fourth
• Most common injury: burns followed by contusions, lacerations and foreign bodies
• Most often injured: hands, eyes, head and face

Sources

Consumer Product Safety Commission
National Fire Prevention Association