Officials offer tips for staying safe around fireworks this holiday weekend

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Emergency rooms are anticipating thousands to visit this weekend with injuries from fireworks.

Fireworks have already claimed the lives of two people in the United States in the last week.

The Indiana State Fire Marshal said that a big cause of injury is when people try to use damaged fireworks.

That was partly to blame in one of those recent fireworks deaths.

He said that if a firework has been dropped, stepped on, or compromised in some way, to not light it.

If you do light it and it doesn’t go off, put it in water and do not try to relight it.

“The damaged firework could go off any time especially if you’ve introduced fire to it and tried to light it. Sometimes it does not indicate that little bit of heat is still there,” State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson said.

Some fireworks stands and vendors are selling safety kits complete with a bucket and gloves.

It’s important to make sure you’re using these fireworks responsibly. Injuries are very common, especially to the hands and face.

Greeson said that parents should be vigilant when watching their kids to make sure they don’t wander close to a lit firework.

And he said to make sure children aren’t handling those larger products.

That’s why the state has an age limit for purchasing them.

“First of all, you have to be 18 to purchase fireworks and we recommend that when you have children nearby that it’s always adult supervision and children should not be handling fireworks,” Greeson said.

“Just be safe about it, keep a bucket of water, stuff like that. It can be fun but it can also be dangerous,” Demon Link, a resident and parent, said.

Experts say it’s best to just watch a professional show, like the one in downtown Indy Saturday night.