Health

‘Leave the Fireworks to the Experts’: First Responders Warn of Amateur Fireworks, Sparklers Ahead of July 4

First responders and doctors gathered ahead of July Fourth celebrations to remind residents how quickly fireworks and sparklers can lead to fires, injury and even death.

Chicago Fire Department Commanding Fire Marshal Ryan Rivera, in charge of fire investigations in the city, gave a message to residents in a Tuesday news conference: “Be safe, be smart and we plead with you, leave the fireworks to the experts.”

Unpermitted fireworks and sparklers are illegal in Chicago. That doesn’t stop residents from putting on DIY firework displays in city streets, backyards and alleys every year.

Last year, there were 11 reported fireworks-related deaths in the U.S., most involving misuse and device misfire and malfunctions, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Two of the fireworks-related deaths were in Illinois, including the death of 34-year-old Earl Lory on the Northwest Side of Chicago.

“This time of year, everyone gets caught up in the spirit of the holiday and it’s very easy to let your guard down and people really don’t realize the life-and-death consequences that that can bring,” said Margaret Vaughn, government affairs director for the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and the Illinois Firefighter’s Association.

Dr. Marion Henry, a pediatric surgeon at UChicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, said the Fourth of July season is one of the busiest times for visits in the pediatric emergency room.

“Parents don’t realize the dangers they are exposing themselves, their children, their loved ones to when having sparklers and home firework shows,” Henry said. “If these were left to the professionals, the children I treat would not be walking around with the psychological, physical, emotional scars of burns, lacerations, ear and eye injuries, and even the loss of fingers and hands.”

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

---