Firework safety tips and precautions for Independence Day

June 24, 2009, WILKES-BARRE – July 4th is a day of celebration across the country, and most families will celebrate with an expansive fireworks display or simply with sparklers. According to Geisinger experts, firework injuries bring several patients each year into the emergency room, no matter the size or scope of their festivities.

“Each year we see a variety of injuries ranging in severity the entire holiday weekend,” according to Ronald Strony, M.D., director of emergency services for Geisinger Wyoming Valley. “We’ll see burns, severed fingers and, occasionally, very severe deformities resulting from mishandled fireworks.”

According to the National Council on Firework Safety (NCFS), nearly 10,000 people were injured in the United States in 2007. Of those injured, one out of every three people were under age 15 and three times as many males were injured than females.

Dr. Strony suggests that families follow the following safety tips to avoid injury this holiday:

A responsible adult should supervise all firework activities. (The average sparkler burns at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, therefore, the NCFS suggests that no one under the age of 21 should be handling sparklers.)

• Alcohol and fireworks do not mix. Drink alcohol in moderation, away from firework activity. 
• Keep a source of water (like a hose or bucket) near firework activity.
• Follow label directions carefully.
• Never give sparklers or other flammables to young children.
• Always use fireworks on a flat, stable surface.
• Never shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers.

“Firework injuries are avoidable if precautions are carried out. Young children should be monitored at all times, regardless if fireworks are present,” according to Dr. Strony.

About Geisinger Health System
Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System (Danville, PA) is one of the nation’s largest integrated health services organizations.  Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country's rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical center campuses, three hospitals, a 740-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Research—dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org.