PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Boating, grilling, and fireworks are all key parts of any good Fourth of July party.<\/p>\n
But those activities can also bring a risk of injury, and every year, thousands of Independence Day celebrations take a turn for the worse and send people to the hospital.<\/p>\n
Fireworks take over the sky on the Fourth of July, but the American celebration is also linked to another kind of boom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe go on more fire-related calls tonight than any other day of the year,\u201d said Phoenix Fire Captain Todd Keller.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery busy in the ER,\u201d said Dr. Frank LoVecchio, who works at Valleywise Health.<\/p>\n
For both first responders and doctors, there\u2019s a boom in the number of patients. Independence Day is considered one of the most dangerous holidays.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be really careful,\u201d said Dr. LoVecchio.<\/p>\n
July 4 is the deadliest day of the year on the roads, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety<\/a>. But even if you\u2019re not driving, there are lots of ways you can get hurt.<\/p>\n RELATED:<\/b> Arizona agencies increase road presence for Fourth of July weekend<\/a><\/p>\n Grilling at a backyard barbecue, heading out on the boat, or lighting off fireworks are all opportunities for bad accidents, especially when you add alcohol to the mix.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very uncommon to see somebody who lit something and it explodes unintentionally that has not used alcohol or drugs,\u201d said Dr. LoVecchio.<\/p>\n In his three decades as an emergency care physician, Dr. LoVecchio has seen people die because of that. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports nearly 15,000 people<\/a> were treated for firework-related injuries in ERs across the country last year, a sharp increase of about 52% from 2023.<\/p>\n And things can go wrong with sparklers, too.<\/p>\n \u201cThose burn extremely hot. You can instantly get a third degree burn,\u201d said Captain Keller.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen people lose their eyes from the fireworks. We\u2019ve unfortunately seen people lose digits, hands from the fireworks. So very, very serious,\u201d said Dr. LoVecchio.<\/p>\n GUIDE<\/b>: Where to see fireworks in the Phoenix area for Fourth of July 2025<\/a><\/p>\n To prevent that and to avoid starting a fire, Captain Keller has these tips:<\/p>\n \u201cOnly light one at a time. Have a bucket of water. Light these on a concrete pad and have a hose nearby in case some of these fireworks do extend any kind of dry brush,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n After 7 p.m. is when fire crews expect to really get busy with lots of calls about smoke and dumpster fires that could spread to homes.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s really important you fully extinguish any fireworks after use to make sure your celebration doesn\u2019t turn into a disaster for someone else.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n