Fireworks are a festive way to celebrate July 4, but each year they send adults and children to emergency rooms across the country.
That's something Jessica Crocker, a registered nurse at the University of Kansas Hospital Burnett Burn Center, knows all too well. She worries serious burns on Independence Day are on the rise. She said in 2014 three people were admitted, but in 2015 that number rose to eight.
Crocker said mostly young men between 18 and 35 years old wind up in the burn center on the fourth. However, she said small children run up and grab snakes, sparklers and punks, not realizing the danger.
"Parents feel very responsible. If you have kids, watch them closely. I mean, there's nothing you can do, accidents happen all the time. What we tell parents is we can't change what happened so don't beat yourself up about it," explained Crocker.
Crocker also said in 2014 they had more less serious injuries from July 4 than in 2015.
Olathe is one city that has a fireworks ban, meaning buying, selling or setting off fireworks is illegal. It can result in a $50 to $500 fine, according to Capt. Mike Hall with the Olathe Fire Department.
Still, each year that ban is broken.
"In my neighborhood I've even heard folks in the area setting off the fireworks ... We do catch calls of house fires, catching roofs on fire. We also see people going up to a mortar tube after the shell didn't go off, lean on the top of it and it shot straight up. The one I recall is it just went straight up into their chest," said Hall.
This simulates a severe #burn to a finger. #sparkler #safety #FourthofJuly #fireworks @OlatheFire @41ActionNews pic.twitter.com/iknTuVcoNs
— Belinda Post (@Belinda_Post) June 29, 2016
Crocker said if you are injured, the first thing you do is to stop the burn. Put your hand under cool water and seek medical attention.
She said children are especially susceptible because their skin is thin. She said if their hands or faces get burnt to take them in immediately.
Firefighters recommend you go to a professional show.
The Olathe Fire Department will be helping at the show put on by city at the College Boulevard Activity Center on July 4 at 9:30 p.m.
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