How to celebrate safely this 4th of July - KOAM TV 7

How to celebrate safely this 4th of July

Getting too close to fireworks could land you in the hospital emergency room.

Mercy Hospital emergency room staff says they regularly see cases of burns from fireworks and that you should also be careful of eye injuries.

Sparklers especially are a culprit, burning from 1,200 to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

All fireworks warn of their flammable nature and heat dangers, but people, especially children, get hurt when not taking safety precautions like simply having water at the ready.

"Most all of the injuries we see, probably 2/3 of them, will be between the ages of 5 and 14," says Judy Russell, RN, an Mercy emergency room nurse practitioner.  "Those injuries are going to be from class C fireworks, the usual stuff the consumer buys, not anything big.  Just sparklers, fire crackers, aerials and most of it's from sparks.  Of course with sparklers its putting those things down and picking them back up and not being appropriately cooled off."

Officials say besides a bucket, it's good to have a hose available.  Also, they urge people to use long punks to light fuses and to back away before they blow.

If someone is burned, officials say to use a clean dry wrap before the trip to the ER.