LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Many people plan to light up the sky this weekend with fireworks. 

But the fun can turn dangerous in just seconds.

"A lot of times, you think fireworks or sparklers are safe and that anybody can do these so being safe and doing the proper ways is probably best you want to leave it to the professionals," Tracie Burchett, the trauma outreach and education coordinator at the UofL Health – UofL Hospital Trauma Institute, said.

UofL Health experts say to keep a bucket of water nearby to put used fireworks and any that malfunction inside of it. 

"You should go to the ER if you have any open wounds or burns or any large blisters," Haily Smith, a burn educator and resource nurse with UofL Health said. "If is perhaps a smaller injury that isn't over a joint or face or hands, going to your local urgent care may suffice and can always follow up in our outpatient burn clinic."

The consumer product safety commission says there were 18 fireworks related deaths in 2020. Thousands of people are injured from fireworks every year.

Most of the injuries are to the hands and face.

Other tips:

  • Don't let young children use fireworks.
  • Make sure a responsible and sober adult is the one using the fireworks.
  • Have level ground or a board to shoot the fireworks from to eliminate the risk of the firework tipping over.
  • The safe viewing distance is 30 to 150 feet away.
  • If something does go wrong, know when to get professional help.

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