ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — With all of the fun that fireworks provide, they are still very dangerous. Local officials are advising that those wishing to celebrate this weekend by lighting fireworks follow all safety precautions.
Deputy Fire Chief of the Altoona Fire Department, Adam Free says those celebrating should be mindful of their neighbors and of local regulations.
“You just wanna check the local ordinances that your municipality may have and follow their rules and regulations,” Free said. “I know here in the city the thing is houses are close together and one of the things in the law is you are not allowed to set off fireworks within 150 feet of an occupied structure.”
Residents should always have a water source present when they are lighting fireworks whether it is a hose or bucket. Area hospitals notice an increase in fireworks related injuries during the months of June and July.
The National Fire Protection Association and Consumer Product Safety Commission says the majority of injuries are hand injuries with burns and mangled finger, 31 percent, while facial injuries occur in about 22 percent of firework related injuries.
Males account for 70 percent of fireworks related injuries, with most of the injuries being to the hand. Children 5 to 9 years old are twice as likely as other age groups to sustain injuries. Alex Haines of Geisinger said a big reason for this is sparklers.
“A lot of the pediatric injuries that we see surrounding fireworks injuries, just really boils down to being unsupervised and improper handling of them,” Haines said.
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Sparklers are able to reach temperatures of up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit when they burn. Haines encourages close supervision of children when they are around fireworks and says that glowsticks make a safe alternative.