Be safe while celebrating July 4!

Did you know that in 2013, 11,400 Americans went to the emergency room for fireworks related injuries, 55% of those were to the extremities and 38% were to the head?

Did you know that in 2011, fireworks cause 17,800 reported fires which include vehicles, structures and outside fires?

Source: NFPA’s Fireworks report, by John R. Hall, Jr., June 2013

Fireworks can be dangerous, causing burn and eye injury. The risk for fireworks injury is highest among children under 4 years old. Young people ages 10-14  are also at high risk. Here are some tips to keep you and your family safe:

• Obey local laws regarding the use of fireworks
• Only buy consumer fireworks from a licensed store, tent or stand. Report illegal explosives, like M-80, Quarter Stick and Cherry Bombs to the fire or police department.
• Know your fireworks; read the cautionary labels and performance descriptions before igniting.
• Don't drink alcohol while playing with firework
• Adult should supervise all firework activities. NEVER give firework to children.  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.
• Always have a bucket of water and charged water hose nearby.
• Wear safety glasses when shooting fireworks.
• Light ONE firework at a time and then quickly move away.
• Never carry fireworks in your pocket or shoot them into metal or glass containers.
• Never relight a “dud” firework.  Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
• Never throw or point a firework at another person.
• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with water before discarding it to prevent trash fire 

Please check out National Council on Firework Safety page  for more safety tips on purchasing and using fireworks.

If injury occurs
-If it's a burn, remove clothing from the burned area and run cool, not cold, water over the burn ( do not use ice) Call your doctor. 
-If it's an eye injury, don't touch or rub it. Don't flush the eye out with water or attempt to put any ointment on it. Cut out the bottom of a paper cup, place it around the eye and immediately seek medical attention
Please check out the KidsHealth website for more information on how to deal with burns. 

Have a fun and safe July 4!