This woman wants you to learn from her close call with fireworks
She got bruised and burned over the long weekend because of a malfunctioning firework
It was a fun day with friends and family in Kitchener, Ont., enjoying fireworks for Canada Day, until a rogue firework headed straight for Tara McPherson. It left her with multiple bruises and second-degree burns.
"It just really reminds you that one moment can totally change your whole life," McPherson said.
She said she was sitting on a lawn chair in her friend's backyard when a cluster of fireworks began launching skyward. One of them flew vertically only about one metre and then turned toward her. She was over seven metres away from where it was being lit, she noted.
"All the others in the batch continued to go straight up.
"The next thing I remember, I'm in my friend's kitchen looking for a cool cloth. She's getting ice packs from the freezer, just pulling things out. Some of the other people gather around and start putting ice on other parts of my body. And I didn't really know exactly what had happened at the time. I just knew I had been hit and it was hot and I had to get the heat out."
She said she didn't go straight to the emergency room because she feared potentially long wait times. Instead, friends and family helped her get into a cool bath. She went to see her family doctor the next day for continued burn care.
McPherson said while attending public fireworks displays are generally safer than amateur events, it was not an option for her because she has accessibility issues. She felt that watching fireworks deployed in her friend's backyard was the only other safe, accessible option for her.
Dry grass ignited
Tom O'Hara, public education officer at Kitchener Fire Department, said they didn't receive any calls about serious fireworks-related injuries over the long weekend.
But there were a few other fireworks-related calls they responded to that caused property damage.
"Lots of people go to public events, which is the safest way enjoy fireworks but I know both of those events this year caused some damage. We don't usually see high damage but that coupled with our lack of rain left things pretty dry."
He noted there were two separate fireworks-related incidents they responded to over the long weekend.
In one of the incidents, a man was caught setting off fireworks on the road in the uptown area. He was arrested and charged with mischief under $5,000, common nuisance endangering life, criminal negligence and breach of duty related to explosives.
The second incident happened at McLennan Park in Kitchener, where a man was caught lighting fireworks in the park.
Sparks from the fireworks caused fires to start in the dry grass. O'Hara said firefighters quickly put out the small fires before they had a chance to spread. It is illegal to set off fireworks on public property.
'Have a bucket of water or sand nearby'
O'Hara has some quick tips to keep in mind the next time you set off fireworks.
"You should always have a bucket of water or a bucket of sand close by in case you have to extinguish something. Anyone lighting fireworks off should wear some kind of eye protection and make sure they have flame-resistant clothing."
By law, you can only set off fireworks in Kitchener on Victoria Day, Canada Day and Diwali. You are also allowed to set off fireworks one day before and after those holidays.
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