KCK fire department officials urge caution as fireworks season begins to boom
As the fireworks season begins to boom in neighborhoods around the metro, fire officials are offering a range of safety tips around the Independence Day holiday and urging people to celebrate safely.
The Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department has recorded three fireworks-related injuries so far this year, Bryan Hendin, the department’s acting fire marshal, said on Friday. Historically, the department will see an average of 10-12 severe injuries from fireworks each year, and occasionally the department will respond to a house fire or two resulting from fireworks, he said.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said there were 11 reported fireworks-related deaths nationwide in 2024. Most of the deaths involved misuse and misfires or malfunctions. An estimated 14,700 people suffered fireworks injuries that were treated in emergency rooms last year. Sparklers accounted for about 1,700 emergency room visits.
The Kansas Fire Marshal’s office reported 87 fireworks-related injuries statewide on Independence Day in 2024.
Hendin and the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department offered a few fireworks safety tips as sales begin to ramp up:
Keep a water source, like a bucket, hose or sprayer, handy to extinguish any fires.
Have a responsible adult in charge and pay attention to children.
Don’t shoot fireworks from or at vehicles or toward people or animals. Keep a safe distance from homes.
Don’t pick up or reach for a dud firework. Wait for 20 minutes and then soak the item in water. “Do not mess with it,” Hendin said. “We don’t want something exploding in your hands.”
When lighting fireworks, don’t position any body part over the item.
Call 911 with concerns.
Sparklers, which burn at very high temperatures, can be attractive for young children to grab onto, Hendin said. Fountain fireworks spew out extremely hot debris. Mortar fireworks should be observed at a safe distance, he said.
“These mortars, which look very small, actually pack a pretty good punch as far as damage to a person’s skin,” he said. “Everybody thinks their body’s kind of impregnable, but that force will definitely damage you pretty severely, if by burn or by just the explosive force itself.”
“Everybody just needs to be aware of these things and try to take the best caution they can,” he said. “If you’re parents, you definitely need to make sure you’re watching your kids and make sure everyone has a safe holiday this year.”
