Fire House Facts & Fireworks Safety

06/26/2012 | Kayla Holiman, Fire Inspector

The Yuma Fire Department responded to 214 emergency calls for service:

• 5 Commercial Assignments
  Including: A fire in a bathroom at a park, a small brush fire endangering a restaurant, and various alarms
• 1 Mutual Aid Assignment
  Including: Assisting Winterhaven Fire Department with a trailer fire
• 14 Motor Vehicle Crashes
  Including: 1 involving a pedestrian, 1 rollover, 1 head on collision, and 1 involving a motorcycle
• 172 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor)
  Including: 6 for difficulty breathing, 8 for chest pain, 18 fall victims, 7 unconscious people, 4 seizure cases, 16 people with psychiatric problems, 28 trauma injuries, 6 diabetic emergencies, 1 stroke, 4 dehydrated people, 4 poisonings, and other illnesses and injuries
• 22 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments
  Including: A snake in a yard, a child locked in a bathroom, a cat stuck in a residential exhaust fan, a kitchen fire in a mobile home, a tree fire, an unattended cooking fire in an apartment, a vehicle fire, a trash fire, utility lines down, the smell of smoke in a house, and various alarms

Fireworks Safety

According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research, every Fourth of July, thousands of people (most often children and teens) are injured while using consumer fireworks. Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people understand the associated risks - devastating burns, other injuries, fires, and even death.

There are far more U.S. fires reported on a typical Independence Day than on any other day of the year, and fireworks account for 2 out of 5 of those fires (more than any other cause of fires.) In 2010, fireworks caused an estimated 15,500 reported fires, including 1,100 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires, and 14,100 outside and other fires. These fires resulted in an estimated $38 million in direct property damage.

US hospital emergency rooms treated more than 8,600 people for fireworks related injuries in 2010 and one third of those injuries involved fireworks that Federal/State regulations permit consumers to use. Children 5 to 14 years old are most at risk for injuries (more than twice the risk for the general population). Even those sold as “safe and sane” fireworks (meaning, they don’t blow up or fly), like sparklers, reach temperatures of over 1000 degrees. More than half of all fireworks injuries are from burns.

Most fireworks are still illegal in the state of Arizona, but with statistics like these, do you really need a law to convince you or your children not to use fireworks? Yuma has several professional fireworks displays planned. Have a happy and safe 4th of July and don’t play with illegal fireworks. It’s the law, and the safe thing to do.

And even where legal, "Fireworks is Fire play!"

For More Information

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Mike Erfert or Kayla Holiman at 373-4850.