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INTRODUCTION Legislation affecting the fire and burn problems within the State of Illinois has always been a prime concern of the Alliance. Beginning with the successful state-wide smoke detector initiative in the 1980's, the Alliance has continued to support state bills which promote fire and burn prevention and expansion of fire safety requirements at the state and local levels.
ENACTING LOCAL FIREWORKS ORDINANCES Click here to view a sample fireworks ordinance from the Village of Mount Prospect, IL.
Alliance of Supporters Click here for a partial list of organizations that support the effort to bring about a ban on the possession and sale of sparklers.
IFSA Sparkler PSA Click here to view the IFSA Sparkler PSA and here for a helpful Sparkler Handout Card.
"A Sparkler Story" DVD Order your copy here and return the form to: Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Request for Support from Sean Hannon (Counselor - IFSA Burn Camp I AM ME) As summer approaches, those of us in the Fire Service anticipate an increase in the incidence of deaths and injuries from fireworks that will mar our summer celebrations. As a Paramedic with the Chicago Fire Department, I have had first hand experience in the treatment of young burn victims. In addition, as a counselor with the IFSA (Illinois Fire Safety Alliance) Burn Camp “I am Me,” I have witnessed over and over again, the needless burn injuries, and physical and emotional impairment endured by these young survivors. Despite the efforts of the fire service to educate the public to the dangers of fireworks, parents remain unaware of the potential dangers, when it comes to sparklers. A parent who innocently puts a sparkler in the hands of his or her child does not realize that a sparkler burns at a temperature of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. To put this in perspective, steel will warp, melt, and sag when heated to temperatures of about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Nor does that parent realize that just the touch of a lit sparkler can ignite a child’s clothing, causing third degree burns within 30 seconds. Sadly, the child and parents are left to deal with the physical pain and the emotional scaring. It is true that we associate fireworks with the celebration Independence Day, the Flag, and our American way of life. Our children happily and innocently go off to parks, to neighbors, and even to our own backyards for this annual celebration. Unfortunately, they are coming home with battlefield injuries—missing fingers, 2nd and 3rd degree burns about the hands and face, injuries to eyes with permanent vision loss. Our celebration of the Fourth of July, our nation’s birthday, should be spent with family and not in a hospital room. The IFSA, whose mission is to increase safety and reduce the incidence of burns and injuries to children and adults, is taking major steps towards addressing the injuries from fireworks, and in particular, from sparklers. To accomplish this goal, we must work together on two fronts simultaneously. We must work to amend the existing laws to prohibit the possession and sale of sparklers. And, to make such a change in the law truly effective, we must also continue the campaign to educate and inform the public of the dangers of sparklers, especially to children. Among the obstacles we face is the public's naive and uninformed notion that sparklers are actually innocent and relatively safe playthings for their children. A poster, made by an IFSA volunteer, illustrates the erroneous nature of this conclusion better than any words. He compares the dangers and the damage, which children can sustain from sparklers to that of a kitchen stove, and asks “Wouldn't we step in to prevent a child from touching the hot kitchen stove? Then why would we allow that child to play with a sparkler that reaches and can exceed one thousand eight hundred (1,800) degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, I leave you with this question: “Are the few seconds of pleasure from fireworks worth the risk of injury, permanent scaring, or even death?”
News Releases Check out the following news releases regarding Sparkler Safety.
Burn Videos
Burn Photos Below are some photos of actual burn injuries caused by sparklers.
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