Officials try to stem fireworks accidents

Fireworks have left at least 24 children burned per year, especially during the holidays of Independence, Christmas, New Year's Eve and Carnival, statistics from the Hospital del Niño (HN) indicate.

Marvis Corro, who has been the head of the Burn Unit of the HN for 11 years, said that, in the last decade, the “irresponsibility” of adults has been the main cause of most accidents in which children suffer burns from the misuse of fireworks. He said that parents have to be vigilant when fireworks are being used, as the sparks and colors they generate when burning are very attractive to children.

According to Corro, the same problems emerge year after year. Most of the accidents, he said, results from parents leaving fireworks within the reach of children. Last year, the HN treated 11 children who received burns considered as “major” that were caused by fireworks.

While accidents involving fireworks occur mainly during the festivities mentioned above, they can also happen at any time of the year. There are accidents that happen because adults sometimes use fireworks while carrying a child, or because children also tend to pick up fireworks that have not yet gone off.

Records of the Panama Fire Department, the agency that regulates the sale of fireworks, indicate that Juan Díaz, Tocúmen, San Miguelito, Chilibre and Alcalde Díaz are the areas of the capital where there are the most reports of people being burned by fireworks.

The majority of the cases occur because people use improper objects, such as bottles or cans, for the ignition of fireworks, said fire official Juan De Arco.

For this reason, De Arco said users need to follow safety precautions in using fireworks.

“The main rule is that no one underage or under the influence of alcohol can handle fireworks,” he said.

According to government regulations, companies qualified to sell fireworks must have a fire suppression system, and can't store them in buildings made of flammable material, such as wood or plastic.