Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department: Legal or Not, Fireworks are Too Risky for Amateurs

sparklersFireworks during the Fourth of July are as American as apple-pie, but did you know that two out of five fires reported on that day are started by fireworks, more than for any other cause? The good news is you can enjoy your holiday and the fireworks, with just a few simple safety tips:

  • Leave fireworks to the professionals. Do not use consumer fireworks.
  • The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public display conducted by trained professionals.
  • After the firework display, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over, they may still be active.

Permanent scarring, loss of vision, dismemberment – these are too often the harsh realities of amateur fireworks use. To keep the public safe from fireworks-related injuries and deaths, the nonprofit NFPA urges everyone to treat fireworks as suitable only for use by trained professionals. According to NFPA, amateur fireworks use endangers not only the users, but also bystanders and surrounding property and structures. Pyrotechnic devices ranging from sparklers to aerial rockets cause thousands of fires and serious injuries each year.

“Safe and sane fireworks don’t exist,” says Judy Comoletti, NFPA’s Division Manager of Public Education. “When things go wrong with fireworks, they go very wrong, very fast, far faster than any fire protection provisions can reliably respond.”

fireworksinjuriesbyinjurytype2012In recent years, fireworks have been one of the leading causes of injuries serious enough to require hospital emergency room treatment. Fireworks can result in severe burns, fractures, or scars or even death or disfigurement that can last a lifetime. The thousands of serious injuries each year typically harm the eyes, head, or hands, and are mostly reported in states where fireworks are legal. Even sparklers, which are considered by many to be harmless, reach temperatures of more than 1,000° F.

“Fireworks are dangerous and unpredictable, especially in the hands of amateurs,” says Comoletti. “The few seconds of pleasure those fireworks may bring are not worth the risk of injury, permanent scarring, or even death.”

typeoffireworks2012Wooded areas, homes, and even automobiles have become engulfed in flames because of fireworks. Fireworks-related fires have typically caused at least $20 million in property loss (not adjusted for inflation) each year in recent years. A substantial portion of the structure fire property loss due to fireworks typically involves bottle rockets or other fireworks rockets. These rockets can land on rooftops or wedge within certain structures and still retain enough heat to cause a fire.

“For most people, their family and their home represent the hard work of a lifetime and their hopes for the future,” says Comoletti. “No one would risk losing what’s most important to them if they understood the dangers of fireworks. There are safer alternatives to using fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Public fireworks displays are one of those alternatives. Conducted by trained professionals, public displays are the smartest and safest fireworks alternative for anyone because they are established under controlled settings and regulations. After these displays, or any other time, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over. Fireworks that have been ignited and fail to immediately explode or discharge can cause injury because they may still be active. Children should always tell an adult if they find fireworks rather than picking up smoking or charred fireworks themselves, which is just too risky.

Fireworks by the numbers

    • In 2011, fireworks caused an estimated 17,800 reported fires, including 1,200 total structure fires, 400 vehicle fires, and 16,300 outside and other fires. These fires resulted in an estimated eight reported civilian deaths, 40 civilian injuries and $32 million in direct property damage.
    • In 2013, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 11,400 people for fireworks related injuries; 55% of 2014 emergency room fireworks-related injuries were to the extremities and 38% were to the head.
    • The risk of fireworks injury was highest for young people ages 0-4, followed by children 10-14.
  • On Independence Day in a typical year, far more U.S. fires are reported than on any other day, and fireworks account for two out of five of those fires, more than any other cause of fires.

THE LAKEWOOD VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS WISHES ALL A SAFE AND HAPPY JULY 4TH!

[TLS]

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1 COMMENT

  1. Billy, an old time custodian in the yeshiva, died in the fire started by a bottle rocket that landed on the boarding house in which he roomed at Madison and Seventh in 1991.

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