With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, the Amputee Coalition urges families to ensure that their children are appropriately supervised during the celebrations, and practicing safety by leaving fireworks displays to trained professionals. Neglecting safety precautions can translate into great risks, and to combat this the coalition offers a few common sense safety measures issued by the National Council on Fireworks Safety intended to ensure safety during the holiday and help individuals avoid a trip to the emergency room.
On the National Council on Fireworks Safety website, Ralph Apel, spokesperson for the National Council on Fireworks Safety, points out that while consumer fireworks go through vigorous third party testing in China prior to being shipped to the US, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there was an estimated 9,600 fireworks related injuries during the Fourth of July season in 2011. The site adds that most of these injuries would not have occurred if the fireworks had been used under close adult supervision and if some safety steps had been taken.
The council’s tips recommend that parents should not allow young children to handle or use fireworks, to always have water on hand when using fireworks, parents and caretakers should always closely supervise teenagers using fireworks. Additionally, the council advises that homemade fireworks or illegal explosives should be avoided and to report illegal explosives to the fire or police department, obey local laws, wear safety glasses, light one firework at a time, and soak spent fireworks in water prior to placing them in an outdoor, fire-resistant garbage can away from buildings and flammable materials.
See a full list of the council’s recommendations here
Source: Amputee Coalition, National Council on Fireworks Safety
