As people prepare to set off fireworks, doctors fixate on safety

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Firework sales are popping off at places like Captain C's Fireworks stand in Gretna.

Ryan Templet owns three firework stands in Gretna and said sales have been slow and steady, gradually picking up pace each day this week, up until Independence Day.

There, products range from the $1,200 assortment big enough to fill up a truck bed to individual 7-inch artillery shells, making for professional show-sized explosions, priced at around $150.The cheapest items, like firecrackers and sparklers, cost about a buck.

Their most popular purchase is bundles.

Templet said that, for the most part, prices have come down since the Covid supply chain issues settled.

The fireworks manufacturers come out with new products every year, keeping up with cultural trends.

"We love seeing the joy that it brings to the people. Especially the kids." "Just seeing them have fun and watching people light up a smile on their face is nice for us."

Templet stressed the importance of balancing fun with being smart.

"Be safe and responsible," Templet said.

Captain C's Fireworks is open July 4 until 11 p.m. and will also be open on July 5.

You may not realize it, but sparklers can burn between 1800- and 3000 degrees Fahrenheit.

That's hot enough to melt some metals and cause severe burns.

Dr. Jeffrey Carter is the medical director at UMC's Burn Center and professor of surgery at LSU Health Sciences .

Yearly, fireworks manufacturers develop new products, keeping up with cultural trends. Dr. Carter said this 4th of July, he expects up to a dozen local severe injuries at UMC's Burn Center.

Nationally, emergency departments see about 10,000 firework injuries a year, ranging from minor burns to life-altering losses.

Nearly half of all involve the hand and face, and of all the patients, 50% are children or young adults.

Dr. Carter said there are four burn centers in the state, and two are verified, but as the only verified trauma and burn center in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina or Arkansas, UMC receives many severe outside cases.

In minor cases, Dr. Carter said you can rinse off the wound and cover it with a cool towel for comfort before applying antibiotic ointment to reduce the risk of infection.

Second- and third-degree burns require medical attention. A sign of a second-degree burn is blistering.

He said there are 78 verified centers out of 6,000 hospitals in the country. The field is very specialized with only roughly 250 burn doctors in the United States.

His burn center works closely with the emergency room, trauma surgeons, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, therapists, and nurses, saying it takes a team to get burn victims through the recovery process.

Unfortunately, Louisiana has many burn disasters, citing electrical reasons following hurricanes, chemical plants, house fires, and wildfires.

In minor cases, dr. Carter said you can rinse off the wound and cover with a cool towel for comfort before applying antibiotic ointment to reduce risk of infection.

Here's dr. Carter's dos and don'ts:

- keep kids at safe distance from fireworks and don't be the designated lighter under the influence.

- don't try to re-light something that appears to have partially burned or failed to go off.

- avoid putting fireworks in PVC pipes

- keep a fire extinguisher, hose, or bucket of water nearby and shoot them off away from any structure, dry brush and accelerants

Dr. Carter said they staff up with nurses on days like Thursday (July 4) to increase capacity and work with the Louisiana Emergency Response Network to help direct people to sites with available care.

As the president-elect of the National American Burn Association, Dr. Carter oversees about $150 million in research to prepare for burn disasters.

He said UMC's Burn Center studies and prepares for disasters of all scales, including potential mass casualty explosions at large fireworks shows.