PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — July 4 after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic means the opportunity for family barbecues, gatherings and fireworks.
However, Philadelphia-area experts have experienced what happens when fireworks are not handled properly, and they advise people to leave them in the hands of professionals.
Philadelphia Fire Department Battalion Chief and Local 22 Trustee Tom Kane said even the most innocent-looking fireworks are anything but innocent.
Take sparklers, for example.
"It's ironic (that) in the home, we keep kids away from a hot iron, away from the stove, but yet we are going to hand them a sparkler which can produce enough heat to melt gold," said Kane.
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"When you think about it, it doesn't make any sense at all."
Kane said that depending on the sparkler, they can burn at between 1,200 and 1,800 degrees.
"Even our gear doesn't protect us from that amount of heat," he said.
University of Pennsylvania Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Dr. Zaffer Qasim said he sees plenty of injuries at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center's emergency room during the holiday weekend.
"We've seen injuries related to fireworks in particular, ranging from superficial burns to more catastrophic injuries, sometimes losing parts of their hands because of fireworks that have gone off, and even more severe burns," said Dr. Qasim.
Both Kane and Qasim say those injuries can be prevented.
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