MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — When it comes to kids and fireworks, adults should let the professionals handle it.
Brigid Straub, program coordinator at Children’s Wisconsin Safety Center says even sparklers pose risks.
“They actually burn at 1200 degrees. That’s hot enough to melt glass and they don’t stop staying hot right when they stop sparkling. So that often causes other burns and it can ignite clothing,” Staub said.
And kids can still be injured even if adults are supervising.
“Just this past 4th of July, the Children’s Wisconsin Emergency Department saw two blinding eye injuries, two children from fireworks, and they were actually just bystanders. None of them had to do with lighting the fireworks at all,” Staub said.
Nationwide, teens ages 15 to 19 had the highest rate of ER-treated injuries. Children between the ages of 5 and 9 had the second highest rate. The bottom line says Straub, take your kids to see professional fireworks.
