Happy New Year: How To Avoid Lethal Or Disabling Fireworks Injuries

Are fireworks an important part of your new year's celebration? Fireworks can look stunning, but to stay safe, it's crucial to keep in mind that they can also kill or permanently injure you and the people around you. Here's how to enjoy the new year in once piece.

How To Handle Fireworks Safely

If fireworks are legal where you live, there is usually also a set of requirements the fireworks must meet. The very first firework safety tip is to exclusively purchase fireworks that carry your local safety certificate.

Your fireworks should always be purchased legally, in stores that are allowed to sell them. Are you not sure about local safety certificates and licensed fireworks retailers? Your local fire department is always a great place to start asking questions! While you are at it, ask them if there are any restrictions on when and where you may legally use fireworks.

If you are planning to ignite fireworks, thinking about the kind of clothes you are going to wear before you start will greatly add to your safety. Leather, wool and cotton are natural materials that will not catch fire as easily as synthetic fabrics. Leather gloves may keep your hands safe. Another thing to think about is coat collars — a piece of firework is more likely to get stuck between your clothing and body if there is a space between the collar and your body.

A final bit of advice about clothing and fireworks is to never store any fireworks you are planning to use later in your pockets. This puts you at risk of fire, obviously. There are plenty of people who decide to ignore this common sense tip, though. If you are one of them, at the very least make sure your put the fireworks in your coat pocket and that you can take your coat of very easily.

While you are getting ready to light fireworks, make sure that there aren't any bystanders who could get hurt in the vicinity. Neither children nor adults should be running around while fireworks are being lit, and people who are drunk or even slightly intoxicated should not handle fireworks at all.

Fireworks should always be lit one at a time, while strictly following the instructions. Portfires are the safest method to light fireworks; don't use a lighter to ignite your fireworks. Lighting fireworks with cigarettes is another option. Don't place fireworks in containers, tie things to them, or otherwise interfere with their structural integrity. Light the firework while holding it away from your face and body, and where appropriate while it is placed in a holding device designed for the firework.

This bucket of water can also come in very handy if there is a fire. You should also have a fire blanket for this purpose. Keep the number of your fire department or the emergency services on you as well, and make sure your phone has both credit and battery.

Fireworks Injuries - A Horror To Avoid

For every fireworks consumer who takes his safety and that of others seriously, there will be a clown who thinks a little danger is cool. What kind of person is injured by fireworks? Statistics show that 65 percent of people injured by fireworks are male, while only 35 percent of the victims are female. Fifty three percent of those who are wounded by fireworks are under 20 years of age, and 40 percent are younger than 15.

More than half of all the injuries caused by fireworks are burns, as you may expect. This is true for all body parts except the eyes, where contusions, lacerations and foreign objects stuck in eyes are the problem. A total of 57 percent of fireworks injuries for which people went to the Emergency room were found to be injuries to the extremities. Another 37 percent of injuries were head injuries.

If you think increased health and safety awareness means that fewer people are being lethally injured by fireworks in this day and age, you'd be wrong. Eight people in the United States died from fireworks injuries in 2010, but in 2020, that number rose to 18. Not only are fireworks not getting any safer, people seem to be less careful around them, too.

What can you do if you come across someone, or more commonly a group of people, who are not using fireworks in a safe way? In many countries, it is rather common to walk into a group of youngsters who are experimenting with (illegal) fireworks around the new year. Walking around from them is always safer than addressing such people, though you should inform the police as soon as possible so to prevent others from being hurt.

In the event that you or someone else does get injured by fireworks, there are some first aid steps that you can take. They are:

• Burns are best treated with lukewarm water as a first step, to cool the injury down. Cold water can lead to hypothermia if large parts of the body are affected by burns. The victim place the burned areas under streaming water until an ambulance gets there. In the case of small injuries, you can treat the burn yourself with burn creams or tea tree oil.

• In the case of an eye injury, it is very important to get the victim to a hospital as soon as possible. Quick action could save the person's eye. Don't take shards of any kind out of a person's eye. Do stay with the victim and comfort him/her until the emergency services get there. Make sure you inform the emergency services that the victim has an eye injury. Describe the wound in as much detail as possible.

• Open wounds should always be seen by a doctor as well. Help the victim find a position that does not force the wound into direct contact with anything, if possible.

• Holding fireworks in your hands when you light them can result in your hand being blown off, partially or entirely. In this case, it is best to press a clean cloth or item of clothing against the wound, to prevent death from hemorrhage. Call the emergency services and wait for instructions on what to do next.

Anyone who has immediate access to a cellphone should immediately call 911 (or whatever the emergency number is in your locality). Describe the injury quickly but in detail, and wait for the dispatcher to give you further instructions while you place your phone on speaker. You can help keep the injured person alive while you wait for the paramedics to arrive.

Fireworks can be amazingly beautiful and are an important part of new year's celebrations for many people. From this article, you hopefully got some information on how to use fireworks responsibly and you learned what to do if someone in your vicinity does get injured. Still, the safest way to use fireworks is - not at all. Enjoying a professional public fireworks display will offer all the fun and more (because they're always more creative!), without the risk.