With Independence Day still approaching, Harborview Medical Center has already treated 11 people for fireworks-related injuries this year, and doctors are sounding the alarm. They say one small slip with consumer fireworks can mean life-changing harm in seconds, from mangled hands to shattered eyesight, as Seattle neighborhoods gear up for backyard blasts and big professional shows alike.
Of the 11 patients so far, five arrived with hand injuries, one with an eye injury, one with an injury to another body part, one with both hand and eye injuries, and three with injuries affecting multiple areas, according to KOMO News. “We're going to see a lot of people who completely changed their lives because they made one simple, bad decision,” emergency physician Dr. Arvin Akhavan told KOMO, and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Chelsea Boe reminded viewers that fireworks are “powerful explosives” that can deliver devastating damage in a split second.
Harborview, the region's only Level I trauma and verified burn center, typically treats about 55 people for fireworks-related injuries around the July Fourth period, according to UW Medicine. That track record is why the hospital routinely brings in extra burn, trauma and hand-surgery capacity in advance of the holiday spike.
City rules and penalties
Inside Seattle city limits, you are not supposed to light anything off at all. The city bans the sale and use of consumer fireworks, allowing only narrow ceremonial displays that have gone through the permit process, according to the Seattle Fire Department. The Seattle Police Department further warns that possessing, making, selling or using fireworks in the city can bring fines and even jail time, underscoring officials' steady drumbeat to leave the pyrotechnics to licensed pros.
What doctors recommend
Harborview clinicians are blunt in their advice: skip the do-it-yourself show and go to a licensed public display instead, and keep kids and pets well away from any kind of device, KOMO News reports. Dr. Boe told KOMO that people should never hold fireworks in their hands, should avoid mixing fireworks with alcohol, and should keep a reliable water source close by if anything is being lit.
If someone is hurt
For life‑threatening injuries, doctors say to call 911. For severe burns or traumatic amputations, Harborview is the regional referral center, and its emergency department is staffed around the clock, according to UW Medicine. For non-life-threatening cuts or burns, urgent care clinics can handle initial treatment, and Harborview's trauma teams will triage anyone who needs specialized reconstructive or burn care.
