LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ahead of the July Fourth holiday, Norton Healthcare and Norton Chrildren’s shared some of the things to look out for to keep both adults and children safe.

Specialists and physicians from the health care organizations covered a variety of safety topics related to the holiday, including things such as water safety and health conditions to be aware of.

Safety concerns 

“Fireworks are popular this time of year and kids are excited about that,” said Kinzie Evrard with Norton Children’s. “However, just from a safety standpoint, we would like to leave the firework disiplays to the professionals.”

Evrard said the safest option for watching fireworks is to attend a public firework display, rather than doing your own. If you do choose to do your own fireworks at home, she strongly recommended keeping them out of reach of children and only allowing adults to handle them.

Evrard encouraged using glow sticks for children who are interested in sparklers.

“They’re not going to burn the child and they can have just as much fun with them. And they last longer," she said.

She said burns to the extremities are common firework injuries.

If you plan to head to the pool or a body of water, Evrard had some water safety advice as well.

“Always make sure somebody’s watching,” she cautioned. “That’s one of the things that we hear a lot from parents, especially if there’s ever a potential drowning, is that they always thought somebody else was watching the kids.”

She recommended designating somebody to be the “water watcher” and if that person has to step away for a minute, to choose another person to take their place.

For open water, Evrard said she always recommends wearing a life jacket, no matter the strength or skill someone may have as a swimmer.

“The water temperatures can change, colder temperatures can cause the body to not perform as well as what you normally would think,” she explained.

Debris and currents or tides can also have an impact.

“It’s ideal to just have that life jacket on at all times, whether you can swim or not," she added. 

She also recommended making sure there is a safe distance from the grill and where kids are playing, ensuring safe storage of firearms and medicines in your home and watching for pedestrian safety.

Health concerns

Dr. Destiny Etheridge, a family medicine physician with Norton Heathcare, said sun and heat-related illnesses are a major concern for the holiday. She said conditions such as heat illness and heat stroke are more severe conditions to look out for, especially when spending a lot of time out in the sun.

“I would say when I would panic with somebody who has been in the heat all day: If they have a change in mental status, if they feel confused, we going to the emergency room, right?” Etheridge said.

Other signs to watch for include not sweating despite it being hot, loss of balance and a quickened heartbeat. She said you need to take the person straight to the emergency room should they present any such symptoms. 

More commonly, people will deal with sunburns, which can be treated easily unless they are severe. Etheridge recommended using aloe vera for mild sunburns. But, if the burn starts to blister or does not get better within three or four days, you need to reach out to your primary doctor.

“If you see any more redness around the wound then for sure reach out [to your doctor]. Most of them can be prevented at home, but when we start getting concerned about infection, go ahead and give us a call,” she explained.

Etheridge recommended always wearing sunscreen with a strength of at least SPF 15 or above and avoiding direct sunlight to prevent sunburns. She also advised taking frequent breaks, drinking plenty of water and reapplying sunscreen regularly to make the most of your time outdoors.