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American Morning

Fireworks and the Fourth: Putting Safety First

Aired June 28, 2001 - 09:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Fireworks and the Fourth: That Independence Day tradition is something that we have all looked forward to. But as you prepare for your Fourth of July celebrations, we'd like to remind you, put safety first. Fireworks can be very, very dangerous.

Joining us now to help stress that point are Ann Brown, Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and Stacy Miller, who's a victim of a fireworks accident. They're live this morning from Washington. Good morning. How are both of you today?

ANN BROWN, CHAIRWOMAN, CPSC: Fine, thank you.

STACY MILLER, VICTIM OF FIREWORKS ACCIDENT: Fine.

HARRIS: Well, first of all, let's start with you, Commissioner Brown. What, are the numbers getting any better from year to year now? You've been coming out on television every year with your warning to people to be careful with these things and do you think people are getting the message nowadays?

BROWN: Well, they certainly were getting the message. Fireworks injuries were down a third. But, you know, the millennium happened and that was like having two Fourth of July in one year. So the injuries did go up a bit this year. But they're still down from where they were before and we expect them to go down further.

HARRIS: Well, it sounds like there might an injury in D.C. this morning with the sirens behind you. Stacy, can you tell us what...

BROWN: You're going to hear a lot of sirens.

HARRIS: Yeah, we noticed. Stacy, can you tell us your story? What happened to you?

MILLER: July 1 of last year I went to a picnic with my fiance, Jarred (ph). And as it started to get dark, fireworks were being set off and one firework the size comparable to a 2 liter bottle of soda exploded a foot and a half from my face, taking my sight, my smell and my taste.

HARRIS: No kidding? Well, you look great considering that's what happened to you. Now how did it happen that it got that close to you? Were you just not paying attention or was somebody being rowdy or what?

MILLER: I'm not allowed to comment on the accident. It's still under investigation by the state police.

HARRIS: OK, I understand. Well, we hope you're feeling much better and you're recovering well from all that. Is that the kind of story that you hear much too often, Commissioner Brown?

BROWN: We hear this kind of story often and particularly from an illegal firework. You know, no firework is 100 percent safe, not even those little sparklers that you see kids have. Kids should never have a sparkler, never have any fireworks. But the illegal fireworks are major explosives and that's why they're illegal. They're not meant to be sold anyplace and you can buy them only on the black market.

We have put some of the people in jail who are selling them. We can't get to everybody. Don't buy them. They are devastating. They can do what they did to Stacy and worse. Ten people died from fireworks injuries this year.

HARRIS: Yeah, and as you were talking, you probably heard it but I don't know if you could see it, but we were showing some file tape of some explosions I think that you all did last year for us with some of these illegal fireworks. But is it, it's not just the illegal fireworks that are the problem here, as well. Is it, as I understand it, so many people go across state lines to go to these fireworks markets that are stretched out all over state lines and especially down here in the south, and they buy the legal ones and the same things happen.

BROWN: You can buy legal fireworks and they could be dangerous, too. You know, as I said, the very best thing to do is to leave the fireworks to professionals. Go out to your hometown show, take a picnic, take the kids, have fun out under the stars. Don't spend the Fourth of July in a hospital emergency room.

HARRIS: Well, Chairman Brown, you know, it's something of a tradition here that we get to see you blow up a watermelon and are you going to be...

BROWN: Every year.

HARRIS: Are you going to be doing that again this year?

BROWN: Yes, we are because it's a very dramatic way to show, the watermelon becomes completely decimated and that's what could happen to a person with one of these M-1000s.

HARRIS: And I assume that you're going to be using those things that are displayed behind you right now?

BROWN: That's correct. We're going to be showing a boy have his hand blown off from an M-80, a watermelon decimated. We're going to show a little girl's dress go up in flames from just a sparkler, what you might think of as most innocent of fireworks. HARRIS: Finally, Stacy, I want to ask you one last question before we let you all go. Now, how did -- I assume that the accident you went through has changed the way that you're going to see or experience this year's Fourth of July. Can you tell us if it will or not and how?

MILLER: How I'm going to celebrate the Fourth of July?

HARRIS: Yeah, the, what is the...

MILLER: Probably in...

HARRIS: I'm sorry, go ahead.

MILLER: I'm probably going to spend the Fourth of July at home.

HARRIS: Yeah, just...

MILLER: It's probably the safest place for me.

HARRIS: We will take your advice to heart. Stacy Miller, thank you very much for sharing, for coming in and letting us know about what happened to you. We sure do wish you well in your recovery and we wish you the best of luck down the road. And chairman of the Consumer, U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission Ann Brown, thank you very much, as well. Good luck.

BROWN: Thank you for having us.

MILLER: Thank you.

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