U.S. Fireworks Consumption, Injuries, and Sources

[Winston]

Consumption:

https://www.americanpyro.com/assets/docs/FactsandFigures/Fireworks Consump. Figures 2000-17.pdf

Sources:

Revenue:

US emergency department visits for fireworks injuries, 2006–2010

https://www.journalofsurgicalresearch.com/article/S0022-4804(14)00346-1/fulltext

There were 25,691 emergency department visits for fireworks-related injuries between 2006 and 2010. There was no consistent trend in annual injury rates during the 5-y period. The majority of visits (50.1%) were in patients aged <20 y. Most injuries were among males (76.4%) and were treated in hospitals in the Midwest and South (42.0% and 36.4%, respectively) than in the West and Northeast (13.3% and 8.3%, respectively) census regions. Fireworks-related injuries were most common in July (68.1%), followed by June (8.3%), January (6.6%), December (3.4%), and August (3.1%). The most common injuries (26.7%) were burns of the wrist, hand, and finger, followed by contusion or superficial injuries to the eye (10.3%), open wounds of the wrist, hand, and finger (6.5%), and burns of the eye (4.6%).

These are the people going to hospitals for fireworks injuries
July 3, 2019

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/us/fireworks-injuries-fourth-of-july-trnd/index.html

More than 9,000 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries last year, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Nearly 62 percent of those injuries happened during a one-month study period between June 22, 2018 and July 22, 2018.

So it's worth reminding your friends and family not to take extra care when preparing for their celebrations.

Here are some stats from the commission to keep in mind:

Firecrackers were involved in most of injuries

About 1,000 injuries were from firecrackers, 500 from sparklers 400 from Roman candles and 200 from bottle rockets.

Mostly men were the ones getting injured

Of the number of reported injuries in 2018, 64 percent were to men, while 36 percent were to women.

Young people were commonly treated

Nearly half of the estimated treated fireworks-related injuries were to people younger than 20 years old. Kids under the age of 15 made up 36 percent of the estimated injuries.

Body parts most injured were hands and fingers

Hands and fingers in 2018 were an estimated 28 percent of injuries treated, while arms were about 4 percent. Legs were 24 percent, eyes 19 percent and head, face and ear injuries made up 15 percent.

 

[Winston]

My idea from a previous thread:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/common-sense-fireworks-safety.127062/#post-1475077

 

[NateB]

A few other points:

Firework injuries often go unreported. (I treated myself for one during a professional show years ago)

Firework injuries may get reported as such and be unrelated to the product. A friend of mine was prepping a show yesterday, slipped out of a box truck and broke his leg. These often get reported as work-related fireworks injuries.

Also, many injuries occur from improper use of professional fireworks, consumer fireworks used improperly, consumer fireworks which were modified, homemade fireworks or bootlegged "M-80s", or other devices like BP cannons or improvised devices that more closely resemble pipe bombs.

 

[prfesser]

Some fireworks safety hints:

Over 90% of all fireworks injuries could be eliminated with two, simple, five-word rules:
Do not hold in hand. (Yes, that includes sparklers and roman candles)
Light fuse, get away quickly.

Your propane torch is far superior to matches, lighters, punk, and rubbing two sticks together to light fireworks. Much quicker, and you can hold it at arms length.

Sparklers and their replacement, morning glories, should NOT be given to children who do not understand that the damn things HURT YOU and HURT OTHERS!

If you're shooting shells from a reloadable mortar, cut a notch in the top of the mortar with a narrow saw, just wide enough to hold onto the fuse. Slide shell into mortar, push end of fuse into the notch to hold it. Light at arms' length.

Have a safe 4th!
Terry

 

[NateB]

My idea from a previous thread:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/common-sense-fireworks-safety.127062/#post-1475077

I have only attended 1 convention and volunteered as a paramedic for it. I enjoyed it and enjoyed the people I worked with. We did treat 2 firework related injuries that year. 1 could have been very serious, but the member was lucky. The other was very minor, only requiring basic first aid.

When I was growing up, anything firework that went in the air or exploded needed to be taken out of state or to an approved discharge site. The county fairgrounds were opened up and you could fire whatever you wanted with the fire department on site. It was a good compromise to allow people to celebrate without having to dodge shells and rockets in your neighborhood.

 

[Winston]

I have only attended 1 convention and volunteered as a paramedic for it. I enjoyed it and enjoyed the people I worked with. We did treat 2 firework related injuries that year. 1 could have been very serious, but the member was lucky. The other was very minor, only requiring basic first aid.

When I was growing up, anything firework that went in the air or exploded needed to be taken out of state or to an approved discharge site. The county fairgrounds were opened up and you could fire whatever you wanted with the fire department on site. It was a good compromise to allow people to celebrate without having to dodge shells and rockets in your neighborhood.

As I said in that older post, I think a fortune could be made with closely supervised public shooting lines. I'll add something I failed to mention: there would be constant HD video recording of all activity. It might be possible to get legislatures in limited and anti-fireworks states to allow it since it might give people their "pyro fix" in very safe environment and, thereby, possibly reduce injuries due to unsupervised pyro activities.

What was the year of that nearly serious injury and what was the background about how it happened?

 

[NateB]

2012 - large shell malfunctioned in a steel mortar. Proper barricades were in place, but there was still a lot of shrapnel. Good lesson to use appropriate PPE, barricades, and distances because they all worked to prevent serious injury.

Open shooting at the pyro clubs is a big draw for members, but those are usually more serious about it than the typical consumer.

I think some of the indian reservations offer shooting lines out West. Here in Indiana, you can generally do what you want on your own property outside of city limits.

 

[Winston]

2012 - large shell malfunctioned in a steel mortar. Proper barricades were in place, but there was still a lot of shrapnel. Good lesson to use appropriate PPE, barricades, and distances because they all worked to prevent serious injury.

2012 is past my time with the PGI. Was that a commercial shell in the member shooting line? During the maker competition where member created shells (rockets, etc.) are shot? The biggest consumer grade shells sold for member area consumption when I was a member were single shot 3" shells in paper mortars or multi-shot cakes.

but those are usually more serious about it than the typical consumer.

Can't disagree with that... a smaller percentage of morons. That's the reason for the very close supervision of a general public version, the signed liability waver, the PA in the entry area running a loop of the rules and ZERO tolerance policy (no booze, no smoking or vaping, safety violations result in immediate ejection from the site with fireworks confiscated, searches for fireworks attempted to be smuggled out [reason for bag restrictions on entry], etc.)

 

[Winston]

Also, many injuries occur from improper use of professional fireworks, consumer fireworks used improperly, consumer fireworks which were modified, homemade fireworks or bootlegged "M-80s", or other devices like BP cannons or improvised devices that more closely resemble pipe bombs.

Another plus to give legislators in favor of pubic "pyro fix" lines to allow people in states where only boring crap (sparklers, smoke bombs, etc.) is allowed - the possible reduction of most of that. Another safety advantage of supervised lines to present to legislatures: a possible reduction of firework-caused fires.

I think the best way to start something like this would be to form a consortium of existing "boring fireworks" retailers within a restrictive state and approach the state legislature stating the possible advantages of public firing lines and then asking for a trial run in a single location .

 

[Mushtang]

If you're shooting shells from a reloadable mortar, cut a notch in the top of the mortar with a narrow saw, just wide enough to hold onto the fuse. Slide shell into mortar, push end of fuse into the notch to hold it.

I don't understand what advantage this offers. Can someone elaborate?

Shells are my favorite and every year I buy a bunch of them to shoot and let other people buy the smaller stuff. I've only ever launched them according to the directions, with the fuse sticking out of the top to be lit. I light it and run away, it fires about 6 seconds later and we all say Oooh and Aaaah.

Not sure why a notch could help, or avoid a potential problem. I'm curious about that.

 

[Nytrunner]

don't understand what advantage this offers. Can someone elaborate?

I think I understand, and I kind of like it.

With the wick sticking out, 7 times out of ten you have to hold it with your other hand to get it steady and lit.

The notch holds the wick steady in a single easily found place, and you can then light it at arms length without trouble.

Keeps both hands away from the tube, keeps folks from accidentally getting their face over the tube, puts you more of a distance away from it, etc.

I was lucky, my parents knew how much I liked things like that and took the time to teach me to respect the power and injury potential of these really cool (but risky) items. Only notable pain I got over years was that one time I burned my thumb on the lighter guard

 

[Nytrunner]

Oh, I also found video evidence for some of Winston's stats

https://www.mandatory.com/fun/1518531-happy-birthday-america-gif-fails-booze-fireworks#1

 

[prfesser]

I think I understand, and I kind of like it.

With the wick sticking out, 7 times out of ten you have to hold it with your other hand to get it steady and lit.

The notch holds the wick steady in a single easily found place, and you can then light it at arms length without trouble.

Keeps both hands away from the tube, keeps folks from accidentally getting their face over the tube, puts you more of a distance away from it, etc.

I was lucky, my parents knew how much I liked things like that and took the time to teach me to respect the power and injury potential of these really cool (but risky) items. Only notable pain I got over years was that one time I burned my thumb on the lighter guard

Exactly.
If the fuse is long enough it will stick out of the top of the mortar by itself...but all too often it's not quite long enough.

Best -- Terry

 

[NateB]

Most of the consumer shell kits I have seen have fuses long enough to stick out of the mortar, but not quite long enough to ensure they are pointed where you want them. I use 6 shot rack with HDPE mortars I built years ago. Cutting a notch in the top allows you to position the fuse exactly where you want it.

My habits come from professional shows where everything is prepped during the day. We still handlight some shows, so the quickmatch leaders are secured where the shooter wants them with rubber bands. If the leaders have a safety fuse, I usually cut it off to avoid poor timing. Now the shell will lift as soon as the flame touches the fuse, so it is essential to know where it is and where you hands are so you don't loose a limb when the shell lifts.

 

[heada]

This year I shot 5 racks of 50 HDPE consumer shells. I always notch the top and use that as my cross fuse point. Much easier and safer. Its harder to do with the fiberglass tubes that are sold but still possible.

 

[Bat-mite]

There was at least one death this year, in Ohio. Something called a "mortar" went off and his a 61-yr-old guy in the chest and blew his chest open, right in front of several neighborhood kids. You can Google it for details.

 

[woferry]

Not saying they can't be dangerous if misused (like just about anything that exists), but I'd really like to see the bar graph in the OP compared to how many fireworks are USED in those same months. I'm wondering if, as a percentage, July might not actually be one of the best months, as it seems to me those other months probably see a much lower usage of fireworks, probably an even bigger ratio than that bar graph suggests. If nobody's using/has them, then obviously the incidence of injuries is going to be much less. And I know in my area February is a very popular month for fireworks due to Chinese New Year celebrations, yet it's one of the lowest months in that graph. Basically the only three months I hear fireworks [in my area where they're illegal year-round due to the fire danger] is January [New Years], February [CNY] and July.