The 4^th of July is upon us, and that is a very important time to think about fireworks safety.

Fireworks are kind of like fire and water, very beautiful to watch but can be very dangerous and even claim lives.

A Few Facts:

• In June of 2009, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) estimated that in 2008, about 7,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with fireworks. More than half the injuries were burns and most of the injuries involved the hands, eyes, and legs. People ranging in age from 15 to 19 years old had the highest per capita injury rate among all age groups. Fireworks should be used only with extreme caution. Older children should be closely supervised, and younger children should not be allowed to play with fireworks, including sparklers.
• Injuries to children were a major component of total fireworks-related injuries with children under 15 accounting for 40 percent of the estimated injuries. Children and young adults under 20 had 58 percent of the estimated injuries.
• The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (estimated 1,400 injuries), eyes (1,000 injuries), and legs (900 injuries).
• More than half of the injuries were burns. Burns were the most common injury to all parts of the body except the eyes, where contusions, lacerations, and foreign bodies in the eye occurred more frequently.

The team of NWIMe.com has put together this section on Fireworks Safety in hopes to open the eyes of people that will be purchasing fireworks this year in Northwest Indiana to enjoy with their 4^th of July festivities.

We sincerely hope that you will take a few minutes and have a look at some of the safety tips that we have gathered below.

Safety Tips:

• Do not allow young children to play with fire-works under any circumstances. Sparklers are considered by many the ideal “safe” firework for the young, burn at very high temperatures and can easily ignite clothing. Children cannot understand the danger involved and cannot act appropriately in case of emergency.
• Older children should only be permitted to use fireworks under close adult supervision. Do not allow any running or horseplay.
• Light fireworks outdoors in a clear area away from houses, dry leaves or grass and flammable materials.
• Keep a bucket of water nearby for emergencies and for pouring on fireworks that don’t go off.
• Do not try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Douse and soak them with water and throw them away.
• Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
• Never ignite fireworks in a container, especially a glass or metal container.
• Store fireworks in a dry cool place. Check instructions for special storage directions.
• Observe local laws.
• Never have any portion of your body directly over a firework while lighting.
• Don’t experiment with homemade fireworks.

PARENTS SHOULD SUPERVISE THE ORDERING AND USE OF MAIL-ORDER “MAKE YOUR OWN” FIREWORK KITS AND COMPONENTS.

MAIL-ORDER KITS AND COMPONENTS DESIGNED TO BUILD BANNED FIREWORKS ARE PROHIBITED.

Have a Happy and Safe 4^th of July!

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