GREEN BAY – With Independence Day on the horizon, many people are stocking up with (or already have) fireworks. While an exciting and fun time for many, it also fuels a surge in patients with injuries within emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. If your fireworks show brings a bigger bang than expected, Emplify Health wants to make sure you know where to go to get the right care.
“It’s not uncommon for there to be a spike in patient numbers around the summer holiday,” said Emplify Health by Bellin urgent care physician, Dr. Michael Hodulik. “From burns and scraps to the loss of fingers, we see it all. But not all injuries require a trip to the emergency room, and in turn, some injuries require more immediate care. That’s why it’s important to know where you should go so that you receive the right care at the right time.”
Head to the emergency room if you experience the following:
- Loss of finger, hand or other body part due to firework explosion/impact
- Third-degree burns or burns covering a large area of the body
- Burns to the face, eyes or throat (especially if breathing becomes difficult)
- Any direct eye injury from a firework
- Loss of consciousness or severe confusion
- Uncontrolled bleeding that won’t stop with applied pressure
- Signs of shock: pale or clammy skin, rapid heartbeat, feeling faint or disoriented
Head to urgent care if you experience the following:
- Small, minor burns without severe blistering
- Minor cuts or lacerations that need cleaning and possibly a stitch or two
- Mild eye irritation from smoke or debris (not direct impact)
- Bruising or swelling from a close-range pop or small explosion
- Ringing in the ears after a loud blast that isn’t worsening or severe
“When injuries happen, adrenaline can take over, and we may forget where the best location to go is,” added Dr. Angie Qualio, Emplify Health by Bellin emergency physician. “If you’re generally unsure whether your injury is serious, trust your instincts, and go to the emergency room. We would always rather see you there than have you wait too long on something that needed immediate attention.”
Fireworks safety is no joke, yet hundreds of injuries happen every year. To help keep you out of the emergency room and urgent care clinics, remember to keep a bucket of water or garden hose around, supervise children closely (even with sparklers), never attempt to relight fireworks, and leave the professional-grade fireworks to the professionals.
Photo Credit: MS Stock Image
Published on: Jun 26, 2026 at 9:09 am