Watch out for the sun!
Yes, it might be cloudy and overcast this Fourth of July, or it may be sunny and bright, but either way sunburns are very dangerous and painful. Severe sunburn is possible even on a cloudy day.
The dangers of skin cancer from repeated sunburns are real and can be very serious. Use a UV-rated sunscreen or a sun block, and wear UV-rated swimwear to protect your skin from overexposure to the sun’s harmful rays.
The worst times to be in the direct sunlight are when the Fourth of July parade is going on and during the activities in Pattee Park, especially between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day. The sun is directly overhead then, and the effects of the sunrays are most severe during this period of the day.
The Perry Volunteer Fire Department joins the American Academy of Ophthalmology in reminding everyone to leave fireworks to the professionals. Too many Fourth of July celebrations have been ruined because a child had to be rushed to the emergency room after a fireworks accident.
There is no safe way for nonprofessionals to use fireworks.
Potentially blinding injuries can be avoided if families simply attend a professional public fireworks display, such as the spectacular fireworks display the Perry Chamber of Commerce will be putting on beginning around 9:30 p.m. (dusk) near the south end of Pattee Park.
Perry’s fireworks display is free of charge and open to the public, so please follow the safe and legal route by enjoying Perry’s professionally produced public fireworks display on the evening of the Fourth instead of attempting to put on your own fireworks display.
Perry’s show has already been paid for by you through your generous donations and by Chamber fundraisers, so come to the park, sit back and enjoy the show. It’s the safe and responsible way to go.
Over the past year, the Perry City Council has debated the use of fireworks inside the city limits of Perry. After much discussion and input from the community both in favor of allowing the use of fireworks and banning the use of fireworks inside the corporate limits of Perry, the council passed an ordinance prohibiting the use or display of consumer fireworks in Perry.
The Perry Police Department is on the watch for violators, and those who are caught discharging fireworks will be cited. The fine is $250 plus court costs and surcharge fees. Anyone wishing to report any illegal activity may call the Perry Police Department at 515-465-4636.
Believe it or not, data shows that fireworks more often injure bystanders than the people who fire off the fireworks.
In addition, family pets are often injured or killed by home fireworks displays. This is a direct result of the pet chasing or grabbing fireworks as they are about to explode, which goes to show home fireworks displays are not only unsafe for you as the person shooting off the fireworks but for the people watching you as well as any family pet that might be nearby.
Fireworks statistics show that:
- The most serious injuries are abrupt trauma to the eye from bottle rockets. The rockets fly erratically, often injuring bystanders. Injuries from bottle rockets can include eye lid lacerations, corneal abrasions, traumatic cataract, retinal detachment, optic nerve damage, rupture of the eyeball, eye muscle damage and complete blindness.
- Children are the most common victims of firework accidents, with those 15 years old or younger accounting for half of all fireworks eye injuries in the U.S. The highest injury estimates were from firecrackers (26%), bottle rockets (21%) and sparklers (11%).
- For children under the age of 5, seemingly innocent sparklers account for one-third of all fireworks injuries. Sparklers can burn at nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot enough to melt gold! Sparklers can easily cause a third-degree burn to the body.
- Parts of the body most often injured are the hands (32%), eyes (28%) and head and face (16%).
For a safe and healthy Independence Day celebration, the Perry Volunteer Fire Department along with the American Academy of Ophthalmology urge observance of the following safety tips:
- Never let children play with fireworks of any type.
- Always view fireworks from a safe distance, with a minimum of at least 500 feet away. A good rule-of-thumb distance is one-quarter mile (440 yards) from where they are being fired off. This is for your best and easiest viewing.
- Respect all safety barriers set up by the pyrotechnicians. This allows them to do their jobs safely and not have to be on the lookout for you.
- Always leave the lighting of fireworks to the trained professionals.
- If you find the unexploded remains of fireworks, do not touch it. Immediately contact both your local fire department and police or the Dallas County Sheriff’s office.
- Always follow the directions of the public safety personnel at any event.
If an accident does occur and you have an eye injury caused by fireworks, seek medical help immediately, and follow these six steps in order to minimize the damage to the eye and possibly save your child’s eyesight.
- DO NOT rub the eye. Rubbing the eye may increase bleeding or make the injury worse.
- DO NOT attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing the eye.
- DO NOT apply pressure to the eye itself. Holding or taping a foam cup or the bottom of a juice carton is one suggestion for protecting the injured eye. The aim is to protect the eye from further contact with any item, including the child’s own hands and fingers.
- DO NOT apply ointment. Ointment, which might not be sterile, makes the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.
- DO NOT stop for medicine. Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin should never be given to children, and ibuprofen as well can thin the blood and increase bleeding. Take the child to the emergency room at once. This is more important than stopping for a pain reliever.
The Perry Volunteer Fire Department would again like to remind everyone that there will be a public display of fireworks on Monday, July 4 at dusk, around 9:30 p.m. As in years past, the display will be visible to the southwest from Pattee Park.
The Perry Fire Department wishes everyone a safe and Happy Fourth of July Holiday!
Chris Hinds is the Perry Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief.
