Firework Safety Tips

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's already happened in our area, people have been injured while lighting off illegal fireworks.

Hear from the doctors who have to try to repair the damage.

About 1,200 people a year are injured by fireworks, most in the weeks surrounding July 4.

Hold this M-80 in your hand, WJZ's Mike Schuh said he doesn't think so, but the state wants us to show you what a fake hand looks like getting blown to bits.

Every year, illegal fireworks blow off fingers. Doctors and law enforcement ask: Is is worth it?

Nothing ruins a party like putting a finger on ice.

"If there is an explosive-type injury, the injured part should be recovered," said Dr. Ryan Zimmerman, with the Curtis National Hand Center. "You want to wrap the injured part in wet gauze, and put that, not directly on ice, but in a bag itself, and put that bag onto an ice and water mixture."

So, while someone deals with the screaming pyro, another person gets to pick up a severed body part.

As you watch a member of the bomb squad hold a 2000 degree sparkler near a t-shirt, it should come as no surprise that most - some 69 percent - of the injuries are burns.

"Often times, these injuries can never be undone," said Dr. Zimmerman.

"The eye is very delicate," said one eye doctor.

Moving on, let's talk about the 9 percent of the fireworks injuries that happen to eyes.

Sparks, red hot metal, flaming balls, explosives, the things that can make the world a dark, dark place forever.

"Even with all the advances in microscopic eye surgery, fireworks eye injuries are often irreparable," the eye doctor said.

And there is one group more susceptible to these injuries than others.

"Especially our children and teens," said Lt. Kevin Williams with the Baltimore Fire Department.

So you know whats coming next, here's the pitch from a city fire marshal.

"Our recommendation is to please enjoy the professionals," Lt. Williams said.

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