HSHS hospitals urge safety during fireworks season

6/24/2020

HSHS hospitals urge safety during fireworks season

Green Bay, Wis. – Though fireworks can be exciting, festive and fun, HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s, St. Nicholas and St. Clare Memorial Hospitals want to remind community members that fireworks can also be very dangerous.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports on average, 180 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday. HSHS hospitals recommend fireworks be left to experts specially trained and certified in pyrotechnics.

While many professional firework displays are canceled throughout the region due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s possible more people may choose to light their own fireworks this year. The following safety reminders are provided by HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s, St. Nicholas and St. Clare Memorial Hospitals with guidance from the CPSC:

Tips to keep children safe around water:

  1. Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
  2. Never allow children to play with fireworks. Young children can suffer injuries from sparklers, which burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
  3. Never place any part of your body directly over a firework when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting a firework (only light one at a time).
  4. Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them from metal or glass containers.
  5. Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
  6. Soak all spent fireworks in a bucket of water before throwing them in the trash can. Never discard fireworks, including used ones, in a fire pit.
  7. Avoid buying fireworks packaged in brown paper. This is often a sign they were made for professional use only.

More fireworks safety tips are available on the CPSC website at: www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks

If you or someone you know is injured by a firework and in need of emergency care, call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room immediately. Community members should never delay or forgo emergency care, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our communities. HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls are well-prepared to safely provide emergency care needs, 24/7.
 

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About HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center
HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center have been delivering quality health care to Green Bay and its surrounding communities since 1888. With HSHS St. Vincent being the largest tertiary care hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s location on Green Bay’s west side, patients from Northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan benefit from a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, emergency and trauma care, preventive care across the lifespan, digestive health, orthopedic, cardiac care, neurosciences, rehabilitation and pediatrics. Affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System, the hospitals primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of competent and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. Both hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

About HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital
HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital has been delivering high quality health care to Sheboygan and its surrounding communities since 1890. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital provides a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, 24-hour emergency care, digestive health, orthopedics, cardiac, home health and hospice care. The hospital’s primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of high quality and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.  An affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. To learn more, visit www.stnicholashospital.org.
 
About HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital serves Oconto Falls and the surrounding communities as a federally-designated critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency department, urgent care, general, vascular and orthopedic surgical services, inpatient and outpatient surgical and diagnostic services, rehabilitation, oncology outpatient clinic and women’s care. HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, in affiliation with Prevea Health, has six regional health center locations in Gillett, Lena, Mountain, Oconto, Oconto Falls and Suring. HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Pharmacies are located in Gillett and Oconto Falls. Founded in 1921 as Community Memorial Hospital, in 2014, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital became the fourteenth hospital in Hospital Sisters Health System. As an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. For more information about St. Clare, visit www.stclarememorial.org.
 
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.

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