Fireworks, Burns and the Law in L.A.
The Los Angeles Fire Department is pleased to share a thought-provoking video focused on "Fireworks, Burns and the Law in L.A." from award-winning producers David and Cameron Barrett:
Senseless calamaties to people and pets remain a sad reality for Los Angeles Firefighters, as time and again, we see needless fireworks injuries.
We hope that you will join firefighters and their families in celebrating Independence Day at a public fireworks display. For more information, visit:
Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
10 comments:
Fireworks: no more dangerous than a car.
Yeah, I break the law and even hand kids sparklers and they all have a safe and fun time. This video is over the top though with the handcuffs and spending a night in jail, exactly the kind of thing that makes people ignore these warnings.
El Chavo!, thanks for the note.
In the the most basic sense, your Neighborhood Firefighters completely agree with you.
A car and fireworks can both be dangerous - and in our opinion, are made less so when controlled by licensed individuals who obey the laws of nature and the law of the land.
While not all of this (privately produced) video will resonate with local residents, we are obligated to share word from experts such as Dr. Grossman, as well as your Neighborhood Firefighters who are routinely called to help the injured and quell blazes caused by fireworks, including so-called safe & sane devices.
Thanks for sharing your opinion here, and for your often thought-provoking blog. Kindly accept our best wishes for a safe and enjoyable Independence Day celebration!
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
El Chavo!, No one sets out to have a traffic accident or an accident with fireworks. It only takes one bad second to set these events in motion. With fireworks, why would you even take the chance? There are plenty of public fireworks events to attend. They are not immune to accidents either, but in their planning they usually have the professionals on scene to respond to any mishaps. At this point, time can make all the difference between a good outcome and the unthinkable. When it comes to fire safety, there is no over the top.
Happy Independence Day and Happy Canada Day (July 1) to everyone!!!
One of the things we learned when developing this safety video was that adults typically do understand how to manage and handle small hand-held fireworks. But children emulate their parents and when they're not in the room, they like to experiment. And, during the period of time researching and producing this video, we had the opportunity to meet with burned children, to arrive on scene to a person was mortally injured, and to otherwise experience how deadly fireworks can be.
The handcuffs thing may seem over the top, but the intent is to save lives, not control your fun and good times.
From the NFPA report on fireworks, issued just this past week:
* In 2006, fireworks caused an estimated 32,600 reported fires, including 1,700 total structure fires, 600 vehicle fires, and 30,300 outside and other fires. These fires resulted in an estimated 6 civilian deaths, 70 civilian injuries and $34 million in direct property damage.
* In 2007, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 9,800 people for fireworks related injuries.
* 56% of 2007 emergency room fireworks-related injuries were to the extremities and 36% were to the head.
* 49% of the 2007 fireworks injuries were burns, while 29% were contusions and lacerations.
* Two of five (42%) people injured by fireworks were under the age of 15.
* Sparklers, fountains, and novelties alone accounted for 36% of the emergency room fireworks injuries in 2007.
There is additional information available from the LAFD PSO team, from the NFPA, and from MySafe:LA's website.
Where can I report the sale of illegal fireworks?
Anonymous 4:22,
You can report the personal or illicit commercial sales of fireworks to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Not enough is being broadcasted out there to the public about the dangers and illegal activity regarding fireworks. It's really sad that there are that many people out there that don't care! They have no compassion, no understanding, they just plain don't care, not even for themselves or own family. A total disregard for the law and others.
On our San pedro Harbor area street there were several families having house parties and setting off commercial-grade fireworks, cannons, etc. It was deafening and extremely dangerous. I called the police dept. and a cruiser came by just in time to see a major display in front of one of these house parties and it slowed down and then just kept going. The watch commander called me after I complained and he said that they would put our street on their 'watch' list next year. Our small dog bolted out of the door and is now missing. Our daughter is traumatized. Meanwhile, one block away was the Cabrillo Display for everyone to enjoy. Breaking the law is breaking the law and until it is changed, what kind of example are parents setting for their children?
I am looking for information about injuries and or fires at fireworks shows. This is for a college research paper, my main focus is the use of illegal fireworks but I would like this information for the sake of comparison.
For information on fireworks injuries, you can visit several websites for information. Here in L.A. you can check out:
www.mysafela.org
For statistics, you can visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/fworks.htm
and...
http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Fireworks/fire_spot.html
And, finally:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09258.html
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