Celebrate July Fourth safely

Child mannequins are used to demonstrate the fire danger posed by sparklers during a demonstration in Washington by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to encourage safety on the Fourth of July.

Safety tips

Rich Barr, Lawrence fire marshal, has these tips for people using fireworks outside the city limits or in neighboring communities:

• Make sure there is adult supervision at all times when children are playing with fireworks.

• Don’t use fireworks around glass containers or put them in glass containers.

• If you have fireworks that don’t go off when lit, you need to wait a reasonable amount of time to make sure they are not slow burners.

• Immerse used fireworks and punks in a bucket of water to make sure they are neutralized.

• Follow a manufacturer’s directions on how to use fireworks. “Obviously, you don’t hold them when the manufacturer indicates that they need to be put on a stand base.”

• Wear eye protection. “That’s a huge injury. Those sparks can get in your eyes.”

Boom. Crackle. Crackle. Boom. Boom.

Celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks is an American tradition enjoyed by children and children at heart.

Wednesday, fireworks stands open for business in Douglas County and there will be plenty of buyers.

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans go through about 265 million pounds of fireworks annually, a 920 percent increase over three decades ago.

Despite the skyrocketing increase, fireworks-related injuries have declined from 11,100 in 1976 to 9,800 in 2007.

That’s a good sign, but Lawrence firefighters and health professionals want to see that number decline even further because any injury is one too many.

Four people sought help in Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s emergency room last Fourth of July, down from five in 2007, seven in 2006 and nine in 2005.

Injuries are generally associated with fingers, hands and eyes.

John Drees, community education specialist at LMH, has seen devastating injuries as an emergency room nurse.

“I have seen a teenager lose fingers,” he said.

He also saw a young girl, who was sitting on a porch away from the action because she was scared, suffer neck burns from a misfired firework.

In Lawrence, only novelty items such as glow worms or snakes, sparklers and smoke devices are allowed. Still, these items require matches or a lighter to ignite.

“It’s not like there’s a special holiday on safety for the Fourth of July. You don’t say, ‘OK, now you can play with matches even though you normally can’t,'” Drees said.

Last year, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical responded to three fireworks-related fires. One caused $360,000 in damage to a home.

That was the highest number of fires since 2003, when the city became a fireworks-free zone. Rich Barr, the city’s fire marshal, said there were seven fires in 2003. During the past decade, there have been 31 fireworks-related fires.

“Typically, the Fourth of July is one that concerns us because there are uncontrolled ignition sources that could be flying around,” he said. “Obviously, we would prefer that people abide by the local ordinance and not have fireworks within the city limits.”

Anyone who doesn’t follow the rules can face fines and possible time in jail, according to Jerry Little, Lawrence city prosecutor.

The maximum fine is $200, but judges generally impose a fine between $100 and $200. Little said a jail sentence could be imposed, depending on a person’s background and other circumstances.

Fireworks are allowed in the county from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. They are not allowed to be set off within 1,000 feet of a fireworks stand, near a vehicle, on any public road or private property without permission from the owner.

“Overall, it’s a holiday weekend and we want everybody to enjoy the Independence weekend, but also to be responsible and safe,” said Lawrence Police Sgt. Bill Cory.

— Read health and environment reporter Karrey Britt’s health beat blog and follow her at Twitter.com.

What’s allowed in Lawrence

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical reminds the public that only novelty items are permitted in Lawrence.

The list of novelty items includes:

• Party poppers. Small items with not more than 0.25 grain of explosive with a string protruding from the device that is usually pulled to ignite.

• Snapper. Small paper-wrapped item with no more than .02 grain of explosive that, when dropped, explodes.

• Snakes or glow worms. Produces a snake-like ash upon burning.

• Sparklers. Wire or stick coated with pyrotechnic material that ignites to produce a shower of sparks.

• Toy caps. Toy plastic or paper caps for toys in sheets, strips, rolls or individual.

• Toy smoke devices. Produce smoke only and with a limited amount of pyrotechnic material.

All of these items, except for sparklers, are allowed any time of the year. Sparklers are permitted in Lawrence only from June 27 through July 5 as part of state-permitted items.