July 4th is a time of celebrating the Nation's Independence with family, friends, food and fireworks. Some people spend the evening enjoying a community fireworks display, while others find the thrills of lighting fireworks on their own. Even though there are many restrictions in Kansas City and the surrounding areas, most of those restrictions don't include sparklers.
Thousands of sparklers will be placed into the hands of the smallest of children over the weekend. Most people don't realize that they are giving their kids a flame that is twice as hot as burning wood. Sparklers burn at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, while wood burns at 600 degrees Fahrenheit. You can melt glass at 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to a 2010 Fireworks report by the National Fire Protection Association, the highest risk of firework injury were children and teens between the ages of 5-9 and 15-19. Additionally, in 2008, the highest source of firework related injuries reported were from sparklers, tying with small firecracker injuries at 21 percent.
Be safe this weekend. Talk to your children about the dangers of fireworks. If you use sparklers, light them away from you body and hold them out, not up. Attend a fireworks display sponsored by your community or other local organizations. The safest way to avoid danger is to let the professionals handle the heat.
For more information on firework statistics, as well as a graph showing sparkler heat, visit the NFPA web site.
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