Jun 29
Seeing Fireworks
This is that time of the year when news stations everywhere start running those safety demonstrations about what can happen if you’re not careful with fireworks. You can probably expect to see clothing on mannequins set on fire in an effort to show how easily clothing can ignite; you might see replicas of human hands being blown to smithereens to remind everyone that fireworks are explosives.
It’s sort of fun to watch, but at the same time, you’ll likely shake your head and ask yourself, “Do we really need to see this year after year?”
Unfortunately, we do. There are roughly 12,000 injuries each year because of fireworks. As one fireworks enthusiast points out, while taking a swing at the “biased” media, this is indeed a small amount when compared to the number of people injured in bicycle accidents. (I’m pretty sure we do stories from time to time about bicycle safety as well, but I’ve yet to see bicycle manufacturers trying to claim that the media is conspiring to make everyone walk!)
Far less than some vast conspiracy to run the fireworks industry into the ground, the media covers this topic because the majority of fireworks-related injuries, which affect children and adolescents, tend to be more preventable than other kinds of accidents if sufficient parental supervision is present. (After all, unless a child is only permitted to ride a bicycle built for two with mom or dad taking the second seat, there’s only so much parental supervision possible during every peddle.)
One other thing to consider is whether they’re legal in your town or county. Not all fireworks are, and if they’ve changed the law since the last time your neighborhood looked like a war zone, you could end up in trouble. One of the local newscasts, in fact, had a local fire chief on earlier this week to talk about the legality of fireworks: in his county, he says that fireworks are illegal if they:
- Leave the Ground,
- Produce Sparks, and/or
- Produce a Report.
I had to laugh at that soundbite. Are there any other kind of fireworks?
Still, if you’re convinced that anyone in the media who might cover this topic has ulterior motives, perhaps you’d be more convinced by what a children’s hospital has to say on the topic.
Whether you purchase your own fireworks or leave them to the professionals, I hope you have a safe holiday!
June 30th, 2006 at 9:03 am
It’s hard for me to see any place at all for “individual” fireworks. A professionally-managed fireworks spectacular is more than enough to celebrate the Fourth.
Like most, I’ve seen the burning mannequin demo (maybe even the same one recycled every year) but never an interview with an ER physician or pediatrician. That sounds like a good idea.