Knowing your firework safety and preventing a tragedy

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The country’s 250th birthday is just a few weeks away, and people all over the nation are getting ready to celebrate, as they have for decades, with fireworks.

Vendors across the area have been planning for this date for years, stockpiling fireworks for crowds they haven’t seen since COVID.

“People are planning for big celebrations, and it it will be one of the busiest years we’ve seen this year since COVID by far. No doubt,” said co-owner of SkyLite Fireworks Amy Burge.

But the use of explosives can lead to very traumatic accidents. Every single year, Med Health treat both children and adults for burns and other injuries related to fireworks. Even ones that you may have grown up using and are the most familiar with, pose a threat every single time you use them and could lead to severe injuries.

“We do see a lot, just throughout the nation, a lot of children from sparklers, so we all use those sparklers growing up, but they can range up to 2000°F and can create some very, very severe burns very quickly. So that is probably the most common pediatric firework injury that we see,” said Emily McGuffey, director of the Med Center Health Emergency Room.

Burns, lacerations, amputations and even death are risks that come with mishandling fireworks. That is why the American Pyrotechnic Association and local vendors are reminding the public to use caution when handling these explosives.

“There is a big national campaign, the American Pyrotechnics Association. They have big safety campaigns going right now for this reason. Bucket brigade, have water, have water wherever you’re shooting fireworks. The kids got a sparkler. They throw that in the grass. Even if it’s raining, you don’t want to do that. Somebody could run through and step on it in bare feet. So just little things like that. But you know, so many people take things for granted. Fireworks, believe it or not, are very safe products if it’s used properly,” Burge said

It’s important to remember to always douse used fireworks and water, never hold fireworks in your hand while in use, and never aim another firework at another person.