Poll suggests parents must be 'more diligent' in keeping kids safe from fireworks

Some parents may be lax on safety precautions for the staples of Fourth of July celebrations, fireworks and sparklers, according to a national poll.

The year 2020 saw 15,600 ED visits due to firework injuries — up 56% from 2019, according to a report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. A national poll from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital also “suggests that some parents may need to be more diligent to ensure a safe environment that minimizes these risks and protects children from firework injuries,” Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark, MPH, said in a press release.

Even sparklers, which are sometimes seen as a safer alternative for children, can cause serious burns, according to the release.

“Parents may believe that sparklers are a safe way for younger children to enjoy summer celebrations. But these are handheld fireworks that can reach temperatures hot enough to burn some metals,” Clark said. “Sparklers are only safe if parents enforce all safety measures and children follow them.”

The majority of parents polled said they enforce safety restrictions for sparklers, which burn at more than 1,000 degrees, such as staying 6 feet apart from other children, using one sparkler at a time, and holding the sparkler away from one’s face.

Most parents also said they have spoken with their child about firework safety, but more mothers believed they are “always careful about supervision” than fathers.

Only one in five parents, however, said that their children sat at least 100 feet away from where fireworks were set off — a “major mistake,” the release said.

“For many families, setting off fireworks is a favorite summer tradition, but fireworks are unpredictable. It’s essential that parents keep children far away from where those fireworks are set off,” Clark said.

More than one-third of those polled also said that their children had assisted in setting off fireworks sometime within the past 2 years, though the age of the child did have some bearing in the results. More than a quarter of those polled said they would allow older teenagers to help set off fireworks, one-third said they would allow children aged 11 to 15 years to help set off fireworks and one in five reported they would allow a child aged 10 years or younger to help.

“Parents differ on what age they would allow their child to be part of setting off fireworks,” Clark said. “But parents need to ensure children are at the right age and maturity level to understand the dangers involved and importance of carefully following all safety rules. If the child is not ready to do these things, their risk of burns, eye injuries and other accidents is increased.”

Some tips that physicians can share with parents for safe celebrations, according to the release, include:

• never point or throw fireworks, including sparklers;

• wear eye protection if setting off fireworks;

• do not try to relight duds and only light one firework at a time;

• wear shoes to prevent burns in case one accidentally steps on a used sparkler; and

• be prepared to use first aid.