As North Carolinians ramp up Fourth of July celebrations, the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill is preparing for some of its busiest days of the year.
Dr. Booker T. King, division chief of Burn Surgery Services at UNC Health, said the burn center usually admits two to four patients a day. Around the Fourth of July, that number often doubles, with the surge continuing into July 5.
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“That time frame is usually our busiest days of the whole calendar year,” King said.
About one-third of the patients treated during the holiday are children.
While many people think of sparklers as a safer alternative to larger fireworks, King said they are actually the most common cause of pediatric fireworks injuries treated at the burn center.
“They can injure the face, injure the eyes and cause pretty significant burns,” he said. “It can range from significant deep burns, and also burns with the loss of fingers, or a portion of the hand, depending on the type of firework used.”
Teenagers and adults often suffer even more severe injuries.
“What we commonly see is someone will put a firecracker in their hand and light it,” King said. “I guess the intention is to throw it before it explodes, and it explodes early. It can cause a pretty significant injury.”
King said other serious injuries are often caused by more powerful fireworks that are not legal to use in North Carolina.
“In the state of North Carolina, that’s a big thing,” King said. “People can easily go across the border and buy some pretty powerful fireworks. If you're not a professional, and you don't know how to manage these and handle these properly, you can cause significant injury.”
King urged parents not to leave children unsupervised around fireworks. He also said people should keep fireworks away from flammable materials, including dry leaves.
If someone is burned, King said to wrap the wound in a clean, dry dressing and get the person to an emergency room immediately.