How to Dodge Dangers at Holidays – Fireworks etc. from PJ.com

July 1, 2010

Experts: Dodge dangers at holiday celebrations

Emily Stewart
Poughkeepsie Journal

Independence Day is a time to celebrate with family and friends, barbecue steaks and enjoy fireworks displays. It’s also a time to be careful and avoid hazards such as illegal fireworks, drunken driving and boating accidents.

U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 7,000 people for fireworks-related injuries in 2008. Fifty-three percent of those were to people’s extremities and 37 percent were head injuries, according to the National Fire Prevention Association website.

“Fireworks are very dangerous and unpredictable,” said Lt. John Watterson of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office.

They are also illegal to use or own in the state — except for licensed professionals. Charges range from a violation for possession or use of fireworks valued at under $50 to a felony if a person has been convicted of a fireworks violation during the past five years, and offers, sells or furnishes fireworks to a person under 18, according to the state penal code.

“There have been numerous cases throughout the years of people hurting themselves with fireworks — blowing off a finger or hurting themselves or other people in their vicinity,” Watterson said.

They can also start a fire. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, more fires are reported on the Fourth of July in a typical year than on any other day, and fireworks account for more than half of those fires.

“A lot of lower-grade fireworks don’t go up very high, so when the remnants come down, they have the potential to start a fire,” Watterson said. “When you light one, you never really know where they’re going.”

Watterson said the Sheriff’s Office usually receives numerous calls and complaints about fireworks around the Fourth of July.

“Attending public fireworks displays is the safest way to celebrate the Fourth of July,” said Thomas J. Cuff Jr., president of the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York, in a press release.

That’s just what Theresa White, 31, of Clinton Corners plans to do.

White and her daughter, Jenna Geib, 8, said they plan to see the fireworks at Waryas Park on Sunday.

White, a former City of Poughkeepsie resident, said before the fireworks came back to the city in 2009, the family used to drive up to Kingston to watch the display.

“It’s a lot easier to just come down here,” she said.

Bridget Romani, emergency room nurse manager at Saint Francis Hospital in the Town of Poughkeepsie, said she has seen more injuries from gas grills than fireworks.

“I think people have gotten smarter” about fireworks, she said.

“Gas grills are definitely a big problem,” she said. “People let the gas trap in there, and then light it — it goes right at you.”

Some patients have had eyebrows and hair singed; others have suffered worse injuries.

“It can affect their breathing,” Romani said.

Grills should be used a safe distance from the house. If a fire does start, call 911 immediately.

“Most people underestimate how fast a fire goes. They think they can put it out themselves, so they delay calling 911,” said Capt. Bill Steenbergh of the Arlington Fire District.

“We don’t complain about coming out if people think they have a problem,” he said, adding firefighters would rather go out sooner than later, when the whole house is engulfed in flames.

Though small sparklers are legal in the state, they can also be dangerous. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, the tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of about 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit .

Romani said she has seen children come into the hospital with injuries from sparklers.

“The sparks can come off and go right into their shirts and burn them, and their shirt can catch on fire,” she said.

Above all, avoid drinking and driving.

Leandra’s Law, a state law signed in November, makes it a felony to drive with a blood-alcohol content greater than 0.08 percent with a child younger than 15 in the car.

State police, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies will step up road patrols this weekend.

“There are more parties, more social gatherings, more events where people tend to drink,” Watterson said. “We’ll be fully prepared to combat the intoxicated drivers out on the roadway.”

He said because Independence Day falls on a weekend, it is likely even more people will be out than when the holiday occurs midweek.

“Most people are off from work and are more apt to go to parties,” he said.

To beat the traffic, Hyde Park resident Andrea Trochez, 22, said she plans to drive from Queens to Morris County, N.J., early Sunday morning.

“That should take care of the traffic,” she said.

More than 92 million vehicles traveled on the New York State Thruway system during the Fourth of July weekend (Thursday through Sunday) in 2009, according to a state Thruway Authority release.

Drivers should plan ahead, wear seat belts, hang up cell phones and allow extra time for travel, police said.

“The July Fourth holiday marks warmer weather and heavy travel periods. Troop T constantly monitors traffic to ensure that every motorist has a safe journey,” said Maj. Robert C. Meyers of state police Troop T in a release.

The Sheriff’s Office also patrols the Hudson River in warm weather.

“Our primary objective is to make sure the boaters are safe,” said Sgt. Shawn Castano of the Sheriff’s Office. “We check to make sure they’re not operating the boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”

Castano said he expected a large number of boats on the river, as people come out to watch the fireworks displays.

He said that during the City of Poughkeepsie fireworks display Sunday night, there will be a 360-yard safety zone around the fireworks barge. Sheriff’s Office boats will enforce that safety zone, he said.

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