City emergency officials say the idea that the Fourth of July is a dangerous holiday is a common misconception.
“Most people are probably surprised, [but] we don’t have a lot of firework runs,” said Brad Riddle, lieutenant inspector for the Muncie Fire Department.
Fires related to holidays are more likely during Christmas, when people leave trees with lights unattended than when the family gathers together to set off some small, supervised explosives, said Aaron Wood, MFD lieutenant inspector.
Instead, his department usually spends Independence Day going on first responder runs, helping people with minor injuries like small burns and hearing impairment.
Wood said although some may worry about fireworks with high explosive capabilities, like publicly available fireworks that shoot and explode in the air akin to those at professional fireworks shows, most accidents and injuries are a result of small fountain and sparkler fireworks.
Rebekah Dillon, trauma program manager at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, said this year, the holiday was just another day. The hospital saw one fireworks-related injury this year.
Hospitals are required to report all fireworks-related injuries to the state each year.
Numbers have stayed rather stagnate in Indiana, hovering between 150 and 110 in the last five years. However, 2012 was an exception when 83 injuries occurred throughout the state.
Fireworks aren’t the only cause for injury during the holiday. As many people gather to celebrate and drink, the potential for drunken driving incidents also rises.
Dillon said there was no noticeable uptick in incidents this year.
The University Police Department arrested two people suspected of operating a vehicle while intoxicated over the holiday weekend.
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