Of the injuries, 11 were fetal in 2015.
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Officials say even legal fireworks can cause serious injuries.
“They are to be handled with safety in mind for both the user and the possible cause of fires”, Whiteford said.
Illegal fireworks include sky rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles, fire crackers and any other firework that explodes in the air or moves around on the ground in an uncontrollable manner, said Berlant. “Typical malfunctions included: errant flight paths; early or late ignition; tip-over incidents; and blowout”.
This year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission set up reenactments of actual accidents involving fireworks to show how risky they can be. Of those injured, 35 percent of victims with fireworks injuries were under 15. It will be held on July 4, 2016 starting at approximately 10:00 p.m. on the property behind Western Wyoming Community College.
But state officials want folks to stay safe and remember that fireworks can be unsafe.
Florida law allows adults to purchase fireworks by signing a waiver in which they agree to use the purchase to scare birds away from farms or fish hatcheries.
A demonstration staged by the fire department shows how a sparkler, which parents often give their children, can cause a severe burn to flesh in a matter of moments.
“Those sparklers, when they’re burning, are burning at 2,000 degrees”.
“Never let children handle, play with, or light any fireworks”, Jenkins stated.
“People treat them as toys or something that’s taken for granted”, said Chief James O’Brien with the West Haven Fire Department.
– Don’t ever try to relight duds.
Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
– Keep a water source handy (like a filled bucket) in case something goes wrong. Only light one sparkler at a time, and keep a bucket of water to douse them in afterwards.
Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
According to a report from the National Fire Protection Association, injuries from fireworks increased from 8,800 in 2002 to 9,600 in 2011.
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Many safety concerns arise during this holiday – because of the danger of fireworks.
