Pioneer Day means fireworks, but it also unfortunately means injuries.
Over the past 15 years, there has been a steady increase in the number of people injured by fireworks during the month of July nationwide.
Remember fireworks are explosives and sparklers are fire. They are dangerous and can cause severe injuries.
In the month of July, there are more than 10,000 fireworks related injuries serious enough to require treatment at a hospital emergency room.
From 2018 to 2021 there were 61 deaths related to fireworks in the United States.
Heidi Ruster, CEO of the American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region, joined us with some reminders to keep you and your family safe.
She says never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt some metals.
Many people don't recognize the danger posed by sparklers and let children play with them as if they were toys.
More than half of all injuries last year from sparklers that required an emergency room visit were to children 5 years old and younger.
Heidi says, "For an alternative for young children try Bamboo sparklers which do not reach temperatures as high as those made from metal."
She also recommends having young children play with glow sticks, party poppers or bubbles instead of sparklers.
Each year nearly 20,000 fires nationwide are caused by fireworks causing more than $100 million in property damage and killing scores of people each year.
Every second counts when there's a home fire.
Heidi says to help protect your household, test your smoke alarms each month and practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.
Residents interested in fire prevention assistance can visit SoundTheAlarm.org/Utah to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm and installation.
During the 20-minute home visit, Red Cross volunteers and community partners will also share information on home fires causes, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts, and how to create an escape plan.
The best, and safest, way to enjoy fireworks on Pioneer Day is to attend a public fireworks display conducted by professionals.
Heidi also recommends downloading the free Red Cross First Aid app that gives you instant access to information on handling the most common first aid emergencies, in English and Spanish.
The free Red Cross Emergency app lets you know about weather alerts, safety steps for different emergencies and the locations of open Red Cross shelters.
Find all the Red Cross apps in app stores or go to redcross.org/apps.
