Lt. Michael McLeieer from ESCAPE Fire Safety speaks with Jim McKinney on air this morning and shares some tips to keep everyone safe around the Independence Day holiday.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – In 2016 alone, the use of fireworks caused more than 11,000 injuries in the United States, with 35 percent of those injured under the age of 15. That’s according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
With fireworks season in full swing, experts want to make sure you’re being safe before you open a pack of fireworks.
“It’s very important that caregivers and other trusted adults are supervising young children to make sure that they’re not in the middle of something that could go wrong,” said Lieutenant Michael McLeieer of the Olivet Fire Department.
McLeieer says there are some important tips to keep in mind this summer while lighting off fireworks.
Some of them include staying away from buildings, keeping your pets inside, and most importantly, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, just leave it to the professionals and go to a public show.
“Two hundred people per day around the fireworks time, around the independence day holiday, end up in the hospital throughout the United States, so fireworks can be very dangerous,” said McLeieer.
Mark Garrity is the Store Manager at Phantom Fireworks in Lansing. He says fireworks can be dangerous in any situation, even if a person isn’t lighting them off. For example, he says a firework case tipped over on accident at work and blew up right next to him.
“It was a scary experience,” said Garrity. “I mean if you’re not safe with these fireworks you can do some really big bodily harm.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, firecrackers top the list of causing the most injuries at 20 percent. Sparklers follow behind at 19 percent.
Garrity says even though sparklers are popular among kids, adults should still be the ones to light them.
“I’ve seen these fireworks do some harm to people and I just don’t want to hear about it somewhere else that somebody got hurt because they were using fireworks inappropriately,” said Garrity.
If you’d like more information on how to stay safe during this fireworks season, we’ve put some helpful links for you under Seen on 6.
Officials say it’s better to be safe than sorry.
The Maranda Park Party season started off with lots of energy and excitement at Lamar Park in Wyoming on Thursday June 21, 2018 (the first day of summer).
Nearly 8,500 people came out to enjoy all of the great fun and food for free. Whether it was flying down the zip line, grabbing a fruit snack from the Meijer Food Truck, learning about fire safety inside the E.S.C.A.P.E. Mobile Training Center or checking out the Rapid Bus, there was something for everyone to enjoy.
This party set the tone for all of the fun-filled parties to come for the rest of the summer.
As the temperatures rise across West Michigan, summertime brings children and adults outdoors for family gatherings, cookouts and a time to play. However one area firefighter warns of the dangers of water that stays in an outdoor water hose.
Lt. Michael McLeieer from the non-profit charity E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety and the Olivet Fire Department says that “children and adults can suffer second degree burns when hot water is sprayed on them from a garden hose that has been sitting outside in the sun.”
“Water left in an outside hose can reach temperatures between 130 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. That is hot enough to cause a scald burn within seconds to children and animals,” according to McLeieer.
Toddlers and children are more often burned by a scald from hot liquid or steam. Most children ages 4 and under who are hospitalized for burn-related injuries suffer from a scald burn (65%) or contact burns (20%). Hot water burns including hot tap water, causes more deaths and hospitalizations than burns from any other hot liquids.
Lt. McLeieer offers these additional safety tips to keep everyone safe throughout the summer months:
- Adults or caregivers should allow the water to flow from a hose for several minutes purging the hot water and replacing it with cool water before spraying children, animals or outdoor plants.
- Dump standing water from outdoor inflatable ground level water slides when finished.
- Closely supervise all children when they are playing with a garden hose and sprayer.
- If a child experiences a 1st or 2nd degree burn, cool the burned area with cool running water for up to 15 minutes, cover the burn with a dry, clean, non-stick bandage and seek medical attention for 2nd degree burns that blister.
- Do not use ice, butter, lotions or oil on burns as they can seal in the heat and lead to infection and further burning.
- Take your child to the emergency room or call 911 for burns on their hands, feet or genitals that cause blisters or burns that cause the skin to be open.
Summer is almost here. Many schools have already released students for the summer break. Make sure your family knows that fire does not take a summer break.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety and the United States Fire Administration offer these fire safety tips to remind children and their caregivers ways to have a fire safe summer.
- Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year with your children.
- Have a fire escape plan for young children who cannot get outside by themselves. Talk about who will help each child get out safely.
- Children should know what to do when they hear a smoke alarm and there is no adult around. Help them practice going to an outside meeting place.
- Teach children to never go back inside a building that is on fire.
- Keep smoking materials locked up in a high place and out of children’s reach.
- Never play with lighters or matches when you are with your children.
- Never allow your child to pick up or bring you a lighter, matches or cigarettes.
- Keep children at least 3 feet away from anything that can get hot.
This summer, stop by any of the five Maranda Park Parties. The E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety team will have their mobile smoke demonstration trailer and Jake the Fire Safety Dog on site to teach kids and families how to develop and practice their home fire escape plan, how to stop smoke from entering a room and provide information on how to obtain free smoke or carbon monoxide alarms to those who need them.
Here is the 2018 Maranda Park Party lineup close to Where You Live:
- June 21: Lamar Park | Wyoming
- June 28: Smith Ryerson Park | Muskegon
- July 12: Kollen Park | Holland
- July 19: East Kentwood High School | Kentwood
- July 26: Bronson Park | Kalamazoo
Park Parties run from noon-2pm at the dates listed above. Free lunch will be served to anyone 18 and under starting at 11:30 a.m., while supplies last.