UPMC, police officials give safety warnings on fireworks and other open flames
Summertime fun often means fireworks. Recent changes in the law mean more fireworks are legal here in Pennsylvania.
But the dangers remain real.
Cindy McWilliams of Gibsonia is living proof of the dangers of fire. She and her family had friends over for a bonfire last October.
McWilliams says she "went to throw a pallet in the fire pit, lost my footing. Fell in, and obviously I panicked — put my hands down and the hot coals, burned my hands."
McWilliams calls it "one of the worst experiences I've ever gone through." She suffered second and third-degree burns and spent 11 days in the hospital.
Doctors say she was lucky.
"For many of the activities that we traditionally associate with the summer — camping, fireworks, all of those we really look forward to — we want people to enjoy that and not end up in the hospital with really life-changing injuries," says Dr. Jenny Ziembicki, medical director at the UPMC Mercy Burn Center.
And it's not just fireworks: it's grills, burn pits, as well as simple things like sparklers.
"Firework injuries are 1000% preventable," Ziembicki said.
Even things like the shirt your child is wearing can make a difference. Nylon burns more quickly than cotton, for example. It can melt and leave more substantial injuries.
Ziembicki recommends that when you're around open flames to "stop, take a few minutes, look at your surrounding and think about what you're doing before you proceed."
Richard Painter, commander with the Allegheny County Police Bomb Squad, says, "Be careful when playing with these things. They are extremely hot. So try to be careful when you're having your fun."
These are words McWilliams takes to heart these days: Leave it to the professionals and always take precautions.
"Make sure there's always somebody with you," she says. "If I would have been by myself, I don't know how this story would have ended."
Experts say there's also a big difference between legal fireworks, like the ones sold at places like Phantom Fireworks and illegal fireworks, like the ones made in someone's basement.
In addition to the danger, those caught with illegal fireworks can face criminal charges.
