Many of this year’s Fourth of July celebrations will be small-scale and home based.
Which may mean that more people try out home fireworks displays, even though they are illegal in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett and many cities in the region.
To keep your kids out of the emergency department, Dr. Tony Woodward, medical director of emergency medicine at Seattle Children’s hospital, recommends some basic safety tips.
Sparklers cause burns
Children should never be allowed to use fireworks, and that includes sparklers. In fact, Woodward says the majority of firework-related injuries to children under the age of 5 are caused by sparklers.
“We often see kids with preventable burns and injuries from sparklers,” he says. Sparklers burn at a very high temperature (up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit).
Another important tip is to only light fireworks on level ground.
“At least 50 percent of kids that we see are not the people who are setting off the fireworks, but the bystanders,” Woodward says. Anticipate the consequences and provide adequate supervision to minimize any chance of injury.
And never relight or touch a firework that has not exploded.
If a child is injured by fireworks, Woodward says, “Remove them from the area and stop the burning. If it is serious, you are unsure or it involves face, eyes or hands, the child should be seen by a medical professional.”
This updated story was first published in July 2020.
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Fourth of July fun around the Seattle area
