Fourth of July holiday sparks warnings of firework safety

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- They're bright, beautiful and bold. But firefighters often see fireworks in a different light.

"Injuries are always a factor when you're dealing with a thing like fireworks. We see a lot of burns to legs and especially arms and faces this time of year," said Jordan Yuodis.

Yuodis, a spokesperson for Jefferson County Fire, suspects this year people will want their shows to be bigger and better than ever before.

"People are going to buy the big fireworks that maybe they wouldn't use before," he said. "Especially since this year everyone is out of the house and back to living some sort of normalcy unlike last year."

So, to keep things safe, there are some common things to avoid: Setting off fireworks in crowded areas, standing too close to them, or trying to light them twice.

"A lot of times what happens is they try to light it one time, and it doesn't light, and then people go back and by the second time they light it then the firework decides to ignite and then we have facial injuries, arm injuries, things of that nature," said Yuodis.

However, one of the biggest safety concerns around the Fourth of July isn't one of the products people shoot into the air, but rather what they hold in their hand — sparklers.

"They're actually one of the most common, one of the most dangerous things to use," said Yuodis.

Sparklers can bring a little too much flash to a party if people hold on too long.

"There's been tons of different safety methods, people have designed things to safely hold on to them," said Yuodis. "We know that's a big hit, especially for small children."

But, Yuodis believes if people educate themselves on the firework products they're using, and keep safety in mind, the festive fun can be a sparkling success.

"We want to celebrate with our community so, just be safe and remember to be smart," he said.

Yuodis also suggests people soak used fireworks in a bucket of water before throwing them away to make sure they are completely out.