The sights, sounds, and smells of summer are here—chicken on the grill, stories by the campfire, and fireworks. And for all the fun that lies ahead over the next few months, seasonal hazards can spoil it.
Pittsburgh area emergency medicine physician and president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians Michael Turturro, MD, FACEP, urges all of us to be cautious this summer.
“Every year I see patients of all ages with burns or other serious injuries that could have been avoided by what I call ‘common sense safety,’” he says.
Annually, nearly 10,000 people are injured by fireworks and almost 5,000 are injured by charcoal/wood-burning and propane grill fires, according to the US Fire Administration.
Dr. Turturro, who is also a member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, offers these summer safety guidelines:
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Don’t handle fireworks yourself; go see a show.
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Be very careful handling sparklers. Make sure to supervise children—more than half of fireworks injuries to children are
caused by sparklers, according to the US Fire Administration.
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Follow the annual maintenance instructions for outdoor grills. Don’t bring a grill indoors or even into a partially enclosed area, like a garage.
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Never add lighter fluid to an already lit fire.
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Build only small campfires, away from dry grass and leaves. Keep plenty of water and a shovel nearby and don’t leave children unattended by the fire.