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As Escambia County prepares for New Year's Eve festivities, Escambia County Fire Rescue encourages residents who choose to purchase and display their own fireworks to utilize extra precautions and safety measures during the holiday.
As numerous Floridians choose to purchase their own fireworks, the number of residential structure fires has increased during holidays that are celebrated with fireworks.
According to the National Fire Prevention Association, an estimated 19,500 fires started by fireworks were reported to local fire departments in the United States in 2018. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 9,100 consumer fireworks-related injuries were seen in U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2018.
Between 2017 and 2023, Escambia County experienced nine residential structure fires caused by fireworks. Seven of those fires were caused by fireworks that were improperly disposed of after their use.
Residents are also encouraged to use caution while using sparklers. According to the NFPA, sparklers alone account for more than 25% of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries. For children under five years of age, sparklers accounted for nearly half of the total estimated injuries.
“Escambia County Fire Rescue wishes everyone a happy and safe New Year," said Fire Chief Adam Harrison. "If fireworks are a part of your celebration, we encourage you to properly dispose of your fireworks by placing the used fireworks in a bucket of water before throwing them away. We also encourage parents to exercise safety when allowing children to use sparklers as they can burn at extremely high temperatures.”
For fire safety tips and other updates from Escambia County Fire Rescue, like and follow ECFR on Facebook.
(Escambia County residential structure fires caused by fireworks)
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