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Experts brace for increase in fireworks-related injuries

Survey finds more people buying fireworks because public displays are cancelled due to pandemic.

July Fourth always comes in with a bang as one of the most expected sounds of summer. But those booms are expected in more backyards since COVID-19 forced many cities to cancel public displays.

Health experts worry this could lead to an increase in fireworks-related injuries as more people attempt to put on their own displays, a concern validated by a new national survey by Orlando Health. The survey found more than two in five Americans plan to buy fireworks this year, including 16 percent who say their purchases are a direct result of COVID-19 cancellations.

Josh Baker understands just how quickly these accidents happen. He lost a thumb after he reached in to adjust a fireworks mortar that had tipped toward onlookers while he and his neighbors put on a display.

“I just remember it went off and I looked down and could see straight through my hand,” Baker said. “Ultimately, I’m lucky all I lost was my thumb. If I had leaned in a little more or turned my head a different way, I might have never left the dock that day.”

Baker had surgery to remove his big toe and attach it to his hand where his thumb once was. He says, as a firefighter, he now has a heightened awareness of just how many people suffer injuries similar to his.

“Every year I brace for those calls around certain holidays like New Year’s Eve and July Fourth, and every year, without fail, there are people who lose some fingers or a hand,” Baker said. “I think it’s something you have to have a healthy respect for. It may seem like a lot of fun, but fireworks are dangerous explosives and people need to be extremely cautious when using them.”

Even products that may seem harmless, like sparklers, should be used with caution. They burn up to 2000 degrees, which is hot enough to melt metal and certainly hot enough to burn through skin and other tissues. Health experts don’t recommend using any fireworks outside of small novelties that don’t leave the ground, but they say if you don’t heed their advice, at least follow some safety guidelines to use them as safely as possible:

  • Never hold a firework in your hand after it’s been lit
  • Do not reach in to check fireworks if they don’t go off. Instead, douse them with water.
  • Keep a bucket of water or a hose nearby in case of any mishaps.
  • Do not allow children to access or light fireworks, and supervise use of acceptable products for children like sparklers.
  • Stay sober. Most fireworks injuries involve the use of alcohol or drugs.

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