Fireworks Safety
by Heather
When I was a teenager, my family went to upstate New York in the Adirondack Mountains for occasional long weekends and school breaks. One Fourth of July, I remember lazily watching the darkened sky from a boat in the middle of Seventh Lake waiting for my friends to put on their fireworks show from a floating dock.
Rather than the show they had planned, a spark from one of the lit wicks set the big-mack-daddy-finale ablaze and everyone dove into the water… a huge mess of soggy fireworks and teenagers, but luckily nobody got hurt!
If you're the parent of young children, you may be simultaneously reminiscing about your experimentation with bottle rockets while you try to keep them away from your kids. It's a delicate balance.
But rest assured, fireworks are dangerous. Here are some tips and facts for when you need to answer questions like “BUT MOM, WHHYYYYYYY?!”
According to the CDC:
- 60 percent of injuries from fireworks occur in the month surrounding July 4th
- 45% of fireworks-related injuries occurred among children ages 14 years and younger; Injuries were most commonly associated with firecrackers (26 percent), sparklers (17 percent) and rockets (17 percent).
- Sparklers were associated with over half the injuries of children under five. I don't know about your kids, but mine are still likely to eat their own birthday candles if I turn away for too long.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that parents should attend professional fireworks displays rather than using fireworks at home … or on a floating dock in a lake, I'm sure.
Related posts:
- The National Council on Fireworks Safety also has a few safety tips if you insist on putting on your own fireworks show.
Photo by orangeacid. Some rights reserved. Usage does not constitute photographer’s endorsement.
