A Brief History...

Fireworks are magnificent when bursting in the sky above us. The history of fireworks is pretty interesting as well.

A Chinese monk named Li Tian, who lived near the city of Liu Yang in China's Hunan Province, came up with firecrackers more than 1,000 years ago. The Chinese people celebrate the invention of the firecracker every April 18 by offering sacrifices to Li Tian. During the Song Dynasty, Chinese villagers established a temple to worship Li Tian.

In the 13th century, Generally Marco Polo began shipping Chinese gunpowder back to Europe, although some published stories credit the Crusaders with bringing the black powder to Europe as they returned from their journeys.

Once in Europe, gunpowder was used for military purposes, initially in rockets, and later on in canons, long guns, and pistols. Italians were the first Europeans who used gunpowder to manufacture fireworks. Germanyalso emerged as a fireworks leader during the 18th century. Today, many of the leading American fireworks display companies are operated by families of Italian descent such as the Grucci family, Rozzi family, and Zambelli family.

Fireworks can Kill You.

A new report on fireworks was issued by the National Fire Protection Agency in June of 2009. The executive summary of the report stated, "In 2007, 9,800 fireworks-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. The trend in fireworks-related injuries has been mostly up since 1996, with spikes in 2000-2001, primarily due to celebrations around the advent of a new millennium, and in 2005.  The highest injury rates were for children aged 5 to 9 and 10 to 14.  In 2006, an estimated 32,600 reported fires were started by fireworks.  These fires resulted in 6 civilian deaths, 70 civilian injuries and $34 million in direct property damage.  In 2007, more than nine out of ten (92%) emergency room fireworks injuries involved fireworks that Federal regulations permit consumers to use.  The risk of fire death relative to exposure shows fireworks to be the riskiest consumer product."

Watch the Video.

In short, using fireworks can lead to injury or death.

The most common injury involves burns.

Some of the most recent statistics are chilling, and include:

• In 2006, fireworks caused an estimated 32,600 reported fires, including 1,700 total structure fires, 600 vehicle fires, and 30,300 outside and other fires. These fires resulted in an estimated 6 civilian deaths, 70 civilian injuries and  $34 million in direct property damage.
• In 2007, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 9,800 people for fireworks related injuries. 
  56% of 2007 emergency room fireworks-related injuries were to the extremities and 36% were to the head.
• 49% of the 2007 fireworks injuries were burns, while 29% were contusions and lacerations. 
• Two of five (42%) people injured by fireworks were under the age of 15.
• The risk of fireworks injury was two-and-a-half times as high for children ages 5-9 or 10-14 as for the general population. 
• Sparklers, fountains, and novelties alone accounted for 36% of the emergency room fireworks injuries in 2007.

Courtesy NFPA, June 2009

All fireworks are illegal in the City of Los Angeles.

Enjoy fireworks this July 4 by visiting a public fireworks display. To find a display near you, click here.

For more information about the National Fire Protection Association, visit www.nfpa.org
or call 617-770-3000.  To learn more about the One-Stop Data Shop go to
www.nfpa.org/osds or call 617-984-7443.

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