Samantha Rux from OSF Healthcare joined Wake Up Tri-Counties to provide safety tips for fireworks use this Fourth of July. As Illinois gears up for Independence Day, safety experts are reminding residents that popular consumer fireworks like bottle rockets and Roman candles remain illegal under state law. However, even legal options such as sparklers and smoke bombs can pose serious risks. Nationally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission logged nearly 10,000 injuries and eight deaths from fireworks in 2023. Dr. Stathis Poulakidas from OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center warns that even sparklers, burning at around 1,800 degrees, can cause severe burns, especially to children. He urges everyone to leave fireworks to professionals and prioritize safety to prevent devastating injuries. Find more safety tips here.
“The simplest of fireworks, which anybody would think is a sparkler, can burn up to 1,800 degrees,” says Dr. Poulakidas. “The first thing everybody wants to do is hand the baby the sparkler and say, ‘go ahead. Run around and have a good time.’ But then it falls to their shoes, they burn horrifically. So not even the simplest of fireworks is safe.”
Fireworks Safety Tips (courtesy of CPSC)
- Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers.
- Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire.
- Never try to relight or pick up fireworks that haven’t fully ignited.
- Never use fireworks while impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Another problem is the combination of adults drinking alcohol while handling fireworks. Dr. Poulakidas says this lethal mix puts you and those around you at your gathering in danger. “I see more adults than I see children with firework injuries,” he says. “The only children we see are the ones that are too close to the actual fireworks, as the adults are manipulating them while intoxicated. Then the fireworks injure the child.”
According to the CPSC, 41% of the injuries were to the head, eyes, face, and ears. Another 35% are hands and fingers; 42% of injuries were burns.
That’s where Dr. Poulakidas comes in. In the burn center, he sees some of the worst injuries because of fireworks mishaps. He calls it the blast effect, which can severely injure intestines and eyes and rupture eardrums, given the proximity of the fireworks and the loud explosion. “We’ll see minor burns to the hands, to the face. We’ll see digits or fingers get blown off,” he says. “We’ve seen whole hands blown off and people lose arms.”
Bottom line: Dr. Poulakidas encourages people of all ages to have fun this year. But sit back, watch the spectacle, and let the experts handle the fireworks. “We want everybody to use good judgment and safe measures to prevent injury,” he says. “Because I think prevention is the key, instead of dealing with an injury after something has occurred.”