Happy Independence Day from Trebel! One of the most common celebrations on the 4th of July is a fireworks display, but COVID-19 has changed the way many of us will be celebrating this year. Many places aren’t hosting a community fireworks show, and instead, people are having their own. Today we will discuss firework safety.
Commercial or community firework displays take great care in selecting the location and setup of their shows. Fireworks can be very dangerous in and of themselves if not handled properly, and if a firework hits a power line, it can lead to disaster. There have been multiple reports around the world of fireworks causing power lines to catch on fire, explode, and fall to the ground. For example, at this event in 1996, a stray firework caused a power line to fall to the ground, unleash 10,000 volts of electricity, and unfortunately, 35 people lost their lives.
If you choose to have your own firework display, please practice firework safety. The U.S. Fire Administration reports about 9,300 fireworks-related injuries each summer, and a study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that 180 people on average go the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday. It isn’t just the large fireworks that can be dangerous; firecrackers cause the most injuries, followed by bottle rockets and sparklers. Sparklers burn at around 2,000°F, which is hot enough to melt some metals.