- Author
-
U.S. Fire Administration
|
National Fire Data Center
- Title
- Dangers of Fireworks.
- Coporate
- U.S. Fire Administration, Washington, DC
National Fire Data Center, Washington, DC
- Journal
-
Topical Fire Research Series,
Vol. 5,
No. 4,
1-6,
June 2005
- Keywords
-
fireworks accidents
|
fire danger
|
injuries
|
fire losses
|
regulations
- Identifiers
- state regulations of consumer fireworks; estimated fireworks-related injuries by body part and diagnosis (June 20-July 20, 2003); estimated fireworks-related injuries; 2002 fireworks fires by month (percent); 2002 loss measures from fireworks
- Abstract
- Findings: **Injuries from fireworks-most of which occur around the 4th of July-increased from 8,800 in 2002 to 9,300 in 2003. Over the past 13 years, however, the injury rate has fallen 37%-from 4.3 to 3.2 injuries per 100,000 population. **State laws regulating the sale of fireworks directly affect the occurrence of fireworks-related injuries. **Children under the age of 15 suffered 45% of all injuries from fireworks. Most injuries (72%) are to males of all ages. **Firecrackers were responsible for the greatest number of injuries (1,600) in 2003, followed by bottle rockets (1,000) and sparklers (700). **Because most fires ignited by fireworks are to outside property, the dollar loss to these fires is substantially less than the dollar loss to structure fires. It would be hard to imagine July 4th festivities in the United States without public displays of fireworks, and a number of other holidays, such as New Years, often call for big shows as well. But celebrations can become tragic when someone is injured by consumer fireworks. Despite federal and state regulations on the type of fi reworks available for sale to the general public, even those fireworks that are sold legally carry an elevated risk of personal injury. Fireworks are considered hazardous materials with the potential to cause serious injury. All fireworks are regulated by the Federal Hazardous Substance Act, which prohibits sale of the more dangerous types to the public to avoid injury and property damage. Among these banned products are large, reloadable mortar shells, cherry bombs, aerial bombs, M-80s, and large firecrackers with more than 2 grains of powder. Likewise, all mail order kits to construct fireworks are strictly prohibited. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulates fireworks that can be sold legally to consumers2 and is responsible for setting minimum standards, such as requiring firecrackers to have fuses that burn at least 3 seconds but not more than 9 seconds, and that all devices be sealed to prevent leakage of pyrotechnic material. Further, all legal fireworks must have labels with instructions for safe use, as well as warnings and precautions.