Every year, hundreds of children and adults are
injured as a result of miss-use or improper handling of fireworks, during their celebration
of our Nations independence. The fact is, fireworks can be used safely if
the manufactures directions and a few common sense rules are followed. The
most important safety rule to follow is, never let children play with fireworks
without close adult supervision. It only takes a second for a child to
receive a burn that will scare them for the rest of their lives not to mention,
the pain associated with a burn injury. Some burns even require painful
surgery to repair damage that can be prevented.
Did you know that in Kentucky, it is illegal for
children under the age of sixteen (16) to purchase or posses any type of common
fireworks. There are also restrictions on what types of fireworks can be
sold or used in Kentucky. For specific information regarding what's legal
and what's not, refer to the re-printed chapter from KRS-227 below.
Except as provided in KRS 227.710, the common fireworks
described in KRS 227.702 (1) may be offered for sale, at retail, or kept with
the intent to sell, only if the following requirements are met:
(1) Any person or business intending to sell
common fireworks shall register annually with the State Fire Marshal's office,
which may assess a fee of no more than five dollars ($5) for each site at which
fireworks shall be sold. The registration requirement under this section
shall not apply to permanent business establishments which are open year round
and in which the sale of fireworks is ancillary to the primary course of
business;
(2) The annual registration required by
subsection (1) of this section shall be received by the State Fire Marshal's
office at least fifteen (15) days prior to offering fireworks for sale at the
site for which the registration is intended;
(3) Each site at which fireworks are offered for
sale shall have its registration certificate displayed in a conspicuous location
at the site;
(4) Each site at which fireworks are offered for
sale shall have a working fire extinguisher at the site, in compliance with NFPA
Pamphlet 10;
(5) No common fireworks item shall be offered for
sale if it has as part of its device any wings, fins, or other mechanism
designed to cause the device to fly, or if it carries a cautionary label which
includes in its description any of the following terms: "explosive",
"emits flaming pellets", "flaming balls",
'"firecracker"' "report", or "rocket";
(6) No person or business shall give, offer for
sale or sell any common fireworks listed in KRS 227.702 to any person under
sixteen (16) years of age;
(7) The State Fire Marshal may revoke the
registration of any site which is in violation of a requirement of this section,
or any other requirement provided pursuant to this chapter. If the
violation renders any property especially susceptible to fire loss, and there is
present such hazard to human life or limb that the public safety imperatively
requires emergency action, the Fire Marshal may take that action, as provided in
KRS 227.330 (6).
(Enact. Acts 1994, ch. 335 § 1, effective July 15,
1994.)
Look at the numbers
FIREWORKS Victimization, in
specific peak year, from 1970 to 1996:
*--up to 34 fireworks caused
deaths a year.
*--up to 12,600 reported by
hospitals fireworks injuries per year.
*--up to 3,300 firefighter
responses to fireworks fires.
*--up to $35 million fireworks
fires property damage in a given year.
*--up to 30,000 estimated police,
fire, EMS fireworks calls in a year.
FAULTY Fireworks at Sales
Stands and Sheds:
*--up to 90 % of fireworks sold in
U.S. are from foreign, cheap labor, sweat shops.
*--up to 60 % of foreign fireworks
in a given year bound for U.S.
sales stands and sheds are faulty.
*--faulty fireworks abound in the
USA.
VICTIMS AGES in Fireworks
Victimization
Up to 57 % of victims are under
15-years of age.
Up to 24 % of victims are 16 to 24
years old.
Up to 18 % of victims are 25 years
and older.
INJURY Location in Fireworks
Victimization
Hand and finger 35 %
Head injury 29 %
Eye injury 16 %
Skin, torso, limbs 20 %
FIREWORKS!
.