No Bang, No Cry – how to avoid firework – related injuries

QUEZON City, Philippines (December 30) – After the sweet December holidays, a lot of people already prepare for another occasion- yup, you’re guessing it right- it is the New Year! A day where we gather with our family and friends and eat media noche while counting down the last seconds to 2015. Watching fireworks and firecrackers – or even lighting one – will not be missed, and that’s where  the bloody start of the year usually happens.

It is indisputable that many are still using firecrackers and fireworks during the New Year’s celebration. As the years progress, bigger and louder kinds of pyrotechnics are invented. A part of tradition, thought to fend off bad luck and a sign of machismo for the guys, these are probably the top causes why the practice is nearly immortal. For the lighters, majority of them become injured, filling up emergency rooms everywhere. As the saying goes, “all actions have their consequences”, probably making limbs the least thing to be gone.

Obviously, the best measure to prevent the injuries is to avoid using fireworks. The Department of Health (DOH) airs their yearly campaign against firecrackers and fireworks tirelessly, recommending the use of kitchen utensils and other objects as a source of noise. To those who are still itching to light one, to partner your carefulness, here are some tips that you should do to prevent any trauma:

• Make sure that the pyrotechnics you buy were produced legally.
• Never allow any children to light one. Always have an adult companion for supervision.
• Never place or stick directly the firework on your body when lighting it.
• Back up to a safe distance after lighting the firework.
• Always have a bucket of water in case of fire.
• Never try to approach and relight malfunctioning fireworks.
• Never point or throw fireworks at anyone.
• Douse the burned firework with water before discarding to avoid trash fire.

There you have it, it’s up to you to obey and be wary. Celebrating New Year with a bang has its own hazards, better do it figuratively than literally.

(written by Rex Felix Salvador, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Lovely Ann Cruz)