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CHILDHOOD INJURY
PREVENTION
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Injury
prevention |
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Community
Education |
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Fireworks-related injuries
What is legal?
Safety guidelines
When summer rolls around,
families and children’s thoughts turn to the bright and colorful
fireworks displays that take place on the Fourth of July. While some
families gather at community parks or organized events to view
professional fireworks shows, many families choose to hold their own
festivities in their neighborhoods or backyards.
Unfortunately, many of
these celebrations, intended to be exciting and fun, can quickly
turn into a nightmare. Every year, more than 3,000 children ages 14
years and younger are treated in emergency rooms for
fireworks-related injuries, and children ages 10 years to 14 years
account for most of these incidents.
"The bright, colorful
lights of fireworks spark excitement in children, but they don’t
understand the dangers associated with handling them," said Susan Hirtz, manager of injury prevention programs at Texas Children's
Center for Childhood Injury Prevention and coalition coordinator for
the Greater Houston Coalition for SAFE KIDS.
"To use fireworks within
the Houston city limits, a special permit is required. We recommend
that families attend fireworks displays put on by professionals
around Houston. When families use fireworks in rural areas, it’s
important for children and parents to know about the risks involved
in using fireworks and ensure that only adults handle them."
While thousands of children are injured each year due to fireworks,
nearly 75 percent of these injuries occur during the month
surrounding the Fourth of July. Sparklers, while often considered
the safest type of fireworks, join firecrackers and rockets as those
causing the bulk of emergency room treated injuries.
Many parents and
caregivers overestimate their children’s ability to handle
fireworks, creating a dangerous environment. Fireworks-related
injuries usually involve the hands/fingers, eyes or head and can
sometimes result in amputations, blindings or even death.
"Every year, I am faced
with the awful task of telling parents their child will be
permanently disfigured or worse due to burns by fireworks that ended
up in the wrong hands," said
Dr. Paul Sirbaugh, pediatrician in
Texas Children’s Emergency
Center.
"Fireworks can be an
exciting part of a celebration, but no parent or child should have
to learn about their dangers in such a painful way," he said.
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Consumer fireworks are legal for public sale in 32 states and the
District of Columbia. They include fountains, bottle rockets, Roman
candles, rockets with sticks, mines and shells, helicopter-type
rockets, certain sparklers, party poopers, missile-type rockets,
illuminating torches, toy smoke devices, revolving wheels and
firecrackers with no more than 50 milligrams of powder.
The U.S. Consumer Products
Safety Commission (CPSC) adopted a standard in March 1997, to
eliminate the deadly tipover hazard in large multiple-tube
fireworks. This standard requires all domestic manufacturers of
these multiple-tube devices to develop a new, safe base.
Fireworks that have been
banned from public sale by the CPSC include firecrackers containing
more than 50 milligrams of powder, cherry bombs, M-80 salutes, large
reloadable shells, aerial bombs and larger firecrackers containing
more than two grains of powder. Mail-order kits designed to create
these fireworks are also banned. Ten states ban all consumer
fireworks: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts,
Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Six states only allow
sparklers and other novelties: Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Ohio
and Pennsylvania. Two states, Hawaii and Nevada, have fireworks laws
only at county levels. However, CPSC regulations are still
applicable.
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Homemade or illegal fireworks are extremely dangerous and should
never be used by your family. Fireworks legally available for sale
to the public also can be harmful if not used properly, and they
should never be treated as toys. If using fireworks, experts urge
parents to remember to follow fireworks laws in their area, practice
extreme caution and remember the following safety guidelines
recommended by the Greater Houston Coalition for SAFE KIDS:
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Only adults should
handle fireworks.
Even sparklers aren’t safe
for small children. They burn at the temperature of a household
match and can ignite hair and clothing. Tell children that they
should leave the area immediately if their friends are using
fireworks and keep a bucket of water handy.
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Discuss safety
procedure with your children.
Teach children "stop, drop and roll" if their clothes catch fire.
Make sure they know how to call 9-1-1, and show them how to put out
fireworks by using water or a fire extinguisher.
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Read labels and
carefully follow directions. All fireworks must carry a
warning label describing necessary safety precautions. Inspect
firecrackers for leaking powder, loose fuses or poorly attached
bases. Avoid such firecrackers as well as those that appear to have
been wet, then dried.
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Never use fireworks
indoors.
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Be sure spectators
are out of range before lighting fireworks.
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Never aim or throw
fireworks at another person.
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Never place your
face or any other body part over fireworks.
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Never try to
re-ignite fireworks that malfunction.
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Never carry
fireworks in your pocket.
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Only light fireworks
on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves and
flammable materials. Never shoot them in metal or glass
containers.
Greater Houston Coalition
for SAFE KIDS recommends families enjoy the dazzle of fireworks at
community-sanctioned, licensed events. Many communities hold
fireworks displays sponsored by the fire department or other safety
agencies. Following these important guidelines can help keep your
fireworks activities enjoyable and safe. Don’t let dangerous sparks
stand between your family and a wonderful Fourth of July
celebration.
Call the Texas Children’s Childhood Injury Prevention Center team at
832-828-1303 to learn more about childhood injury prevention.
Return to
main page of Texas Children's Center for
Childhood Injury Prevention
  
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