Suburban Fire Officials Demonstrate the Dangers of Fireworks, Sparklers

Credit: Photo by Tom Walsh viaFlickr

Submission by the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance

With the onset of the Fourth of July holiday weekend and festivities, fire service and law enforcement officials gathered Tuesday to educate the public and demonstrate to the public just how dangerous fireworks can be

An innocent looking sparkler, which is a favorite among children not only during the 4th of July but also a popular birthday cake topper, can actually reach temperatures of 1800 degrees, which is five times hotter than an oven.

Fire officials did a live demo Tuesday showing how if a sparkler slightly brushes up against clothing it can completely engulf the material in flames in a matter of seconds. Sparklers are banned by ordinances in the city of Chicago and several surrounding communities including Lake Zurich and Mount Prospect.

According the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the majority of fireworks injuries occur to children under the age of 15 with children under 5 having the highest per capita injury rate. CPSC statistics from 2014 showed nine fireworks-related deaths and 10,500 fireworks injuries treated in the emergency room with 67 percent of those occurring during June 20 to July 20.

Phil Zaleski, the Executive Director of the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, which runs an annual camp “Camp I Am Me” for burn survivors explained, “I don’t think people realize it is not only the excruciating physical pain the victims of a burn injury have to endure, but for the rest of their lives, the academic, emotional, social, challenges that they will face on ongoing basis compounded by the fact that the majority of firework injuries happen to children under the age of 15, who don’t have the maturity or coping skills of an adult.”

“The fire service in Illinois has fought long and hard to keep fireworks illegal in Illinois. With the hundreds of professional fireworks displays going on all over the state to enjoy for free there is no reason to put your family and friends at risk with illegal fireworks and backyard amateur shows,” said Bartlett Fire Chief Mike Falese “States such as Minnesota, which have legalized Class C fireworks have seen a 400 percent increase in fireworks related injuries.”

>>> More Info: Fireworks Fact Sheet

• The Department of Veterans Affairs warns that both the smell and sound of fireworks can trigger Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for many combat veterans which can last for hours and go on for days around the Fourth of July, especially unexpected neighborhood fireworks which veterans are forced to suffer from in their own homes. Many take refuge in state parks to get away from the noise.
• In this heightened state of homeland security, it is imperative to limit access to explosives to pyrotechnic professionals. Both the Boston Marathon and Time Square bombers purchased fireworks to be used in their attacks at the exact same New Hampshire fireworks retail store.
• In recent testing by the CPSC & US Customs Boarder Protection staff, over 30 percent of imported fireworks were noncompliant with federal regulations. Violations most often involved overloaded report composition and failure to meet fuse burn-time requirements ·
• The Humane Society and veterinarians warn of the terrifying impact fireworks have on pets with July 5th being the busiest days at shelters for runaway animals whose bodies go into an automatic flight response at the onset of fireworks.

More via the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance website