DeLauro Talks about Fireworks Safety at Green Dragons Summer Camp

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) today talked about fireworks safety with campers from the Green Dragons Summer Camp in advance of this weekend’s Fourth of July holiday. Sparklers and fountains, which produce sparks when lit, are the only legal fireworks for private use in the State of Connecticut. Other fireworks are permissible with a permit.

“Fireworks are a colorful example of the exuberance with which people in Connecticut celebrate our country’s founding. But even sparklers and fountains can still do a lot of damage. People of all ages, but particularly children, need to take the appropriate precautions to avoid injuries to their hands, fingers, eyes, head, or face.”

DeLauro was joined today by Hamden Deputy Fire Marshal Tim Lunn and Mayor Curt Leng.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, over 11,000 injuries resulted from consumer use of fireworks nationwide in 2013. On a typical Fourth of July, fireworks account for two out of five of all reported U.S. fires, more than any other cause of fire. More than half of fireworks injuries that year were to extremities, such as hands, fingers, legs and arms.

Sparklers, which are often thought of as harmless enough for children to hold, burn at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause significant injuries. In 2012, sparklers alone accounted for two out of five of the emergency room fireworks injuries.

That same year, two out of five people injured by fireworks were under the age of 15. The risk of fireworks injury was highest for the children under five, followed by children 10 to 14 years of age.


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