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Fireworks are exciting, fun and spectacular, but decades of experience have taught us that they are dangerous and should be left to professional firework handlers.

During the 2003 Fourth of July holiday, approximately 6,800 people were seen in emergency rooms nationwide because of fireworks, and 20 percent of these visits involved an injury to the eye.

Did you know children, 15 and younger, suffer more than 50 percent of all fireworks injuries in the United States? Please do not allow your children to play with fireworks.

Although illegal firecrackers, bottle rockets and Roman candles account for two-thirds of fireworks injuries, seemingly harmless sparklers also cause numerous injuries each year. For children under age five, sparklers account for more than one half of all fireworks injuries. Fascinated by the bright sparks, young children find these sticks of fire - burning as hot as 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt gold - irresistible to touch.

The following steps can help you and your family celebrate safely this year at public fireworks displays:

- View displays from at least 500 feet away

- Respect safety barriers set up by pyrotechnicians

- Let trained professionals light the fireworks

- Don't touch unexploded fireworks

Play it safe this year. Pack a picnic snack, take a blanket or folding chairs and attend a professional fireworks display. Let the professionals handle the fireworks.

Created on 7/29/2005