Injuries from firework, including two NFL players who lost fingers, made headlines after the 2015 Independence Day weekend. More than 10,000 people were treated in the emergency room for fireworks-related injuries in 2014.

The Tampa Tribune wanted to know why fireworks injuries happen and spoke with fireworks and safety experts, including Sunstar Paramedics’ community outreach coordinator Charlene Cobb, to learn how the accidents can be prevented.

Consumer-grade fireworks can be safe if handled correctly. Many of the problems begin when consumers buy professional-grade fireworks or illegal explosives, or misuse consumer fireworks. In the Tribune article, Cobb said:

“We have found there is too much handling of the fireworks,” Cobb said. “When there are ‘duds,’ people think it won’t go off, but it turns out the fuse is older and doesn’t go off as quickly. It’s a lot of things that can prevented, even by doing something like wearing safety goggles and safety gloves.”

Cobb also give the following fireworks safety tips:

• Keeping a fire extinguisher or bucket of water nearby;
• Being sober when handling fireworks;
• Supervising children around fireworks;
• Avoiding loose-fitting clothing, which can catch embers;
• Wearing close-toed shoes and learning how to properly use the firework by carefully reading instructions labels.

For the full article, please visit the Tampa Tribune.