NMDOH News:

The Independence Day holiday weekend is hear and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is urging residents to celebrate a safe Fourth of July and to use extreme caution with fireworks.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is traditionally the time for parties, barbecues and fireworks, but for emergency rooms in New Mexico, it’s more than that.

It’s a day where the hospital staff knows to expect to see patients arriving suffering burns, bruises, lacerations, even foreign objects in the eye.

Fireworks are synonymous with our celebration of Independence Day, yet the day can also bring pain, even death.

The most recent available Department of Health data reveals an average of 28 people annually visited New Mexico emergency rooms for firework injuries.

In 2014, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) conducted a nationwide study of fireworks injuries June 20 through July 20. Here’s what they learned:

On average, 230 Americans went to the emergency room for fireworks-related injuries every day in the month around the July 4th holiday.

• More than half of those injuries were burns.
• The most injured body parts were hands and fingers (36 percent); heads, faces and ears (19 percent); as well as eyes (19 percent).
• Firecrackers are the most common source of trouble (20 percent) followed by sparklers (19 percent) and reloadable shells (9 percent).
• It’s mostly boys and men getting hurt. Seventy-four percent of patients were male; mostly adults ages 25 to 44 and boys 5 to 9 years old.

“We encourage residents to put safety first and enjoy one of the many professional firework shows across the state,” Department of Health Cabinet Secretary Lynn Gallagher said. “It is one of the best ways to help assure a safe holiday weekend.”

Many New Mexico communities will have public fireworks displays, which are put on by specially trained pyrotechnic professionals. Check your local news media for locations in your community.

For New Mexicans who decide to purchase legal fireworks, the Department of Health and the CPSC recommend the following safety steps:

For starters: make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Too often we parents don’t realize the risk until too late. Sparklers, for example, burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
• Make sure you, your kids, and others watch fireworks displays from a safe distance.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Keep a garden hose or water bucket handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Never try to re-light or pick up a “dud” firework. If a firework doesn’t fully ignite the first time, chances are it won’t on the second attempt either, and you put yourself at risk should the firework explode in your hand.
• Light fireworks one at a time. The temptation is always there to try lighting more at a time for a bigger “pop” – but that only hurts the chances of the one with the match getting away in time.