Sacramento hospitals give tips on how to be safe this 4th of July
SACRAMENTO — The Fourth of July is a day to celebrate with families, but the fun of fireworks can prove deadly. That's why two area medical facilities are teaming up to tell you about safety tips this holiday.
"It just takes a split second for something to go wrong," Joe Pick said.
That's what happened to three-year-old Stevie. She was playing with a sparkler when her dress caught on fire. She received treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital in Sacramento.
"When the kids are here at Shriners, they are getting some of the best care in the world," Pick said.
He works with the Firefighter Burn Institute, which partners with Shriners and UC Davis Medical Center.
"At Shriners, yeah, it's just children, and then at UC Davis, they take care of the adults. But the surgeons work both sides of the hospital," Pick said.
Each year, they work to remind the public about how burns can happen this time of year.
"We see kids with second and third-degree burns from the sun," said Casey Camacho, with Shriners.
Sunscreens and safe activities — like tie-die or arts and crafts — should be on the menu during your family picnic.
"Instead of sparklers, a great alternative is a glow stick," Camacho said. "[Kids] can put them on their wrists and build necklaces."
Getting creative to keep kids out of harm's way is something that can't be said enough, according to Pick, who is about to see some of the burn survivors treated at Shriners at an annual camp in their honor. Stevie will be there.
"There are adults, firefighters that have had burn injuries, and them just being able to connect with them, understanding what they went through, is really supportive," Pick said.
That burn survivors camp takes place in Livermore and includes a trip to Santa Cruz. Dozens are in attendance. Pick says this year they have the most amount of burn survivors as counselors as they've ever had before.