Officials brace for holiday headaches

For many, the Fourth of July means backyard barbecues and fireworks.

For firefighters, police and hospital workers, the Fourth of July is one big headache.

It's the busiest day of the year for the Las Vegas Fire Department, a time when emergency workers are all but guaranteed to see house fires or severely burned children.

"The Fourth of July is the time of year when we see some of the most severe burns. Typically, these injuries are preventable as long as people are careful," said Mary Martinat, outreach coordinator at the University Medical Center's Lions Burn Care Center, in a prepared statement. "It can take 24 hours to see the full effect of a burn, so it's important to seek medical care immediately after sustaining a serious injury."

Any fireworks that fly, explode or twirl on the ground are illegal in the Las Vegas Valley, and "Safe-N-Sane" fireworks are legal only from June 28 to July 4, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department.

But even sparklers can be dangerous, he warned, because the tips can reach up to 1,000 degrees.

"We're not against the community having fun," but people need to be responsible about how they use fireworks, he said. Keep them away from dry grass, trees or anything flammable and soak used fireworks in water for several hours after igniting them, he said.

The danger of wildfires also is increased because late spring and early summer have been so dry and hot. Authorities will be manning checkpoints on Mount Charleston to enforce the fireworks ban on the mountain.

Officials said there is a greater chance for wildfires on the mountain because below-normal snowfall and recent winds have made the mountain much drier than in previous years.

High temperatures in the valley are expected to be about 115 degrees Wednesday.

Las Vegas police also are kept busy during the holiday, said officer Bill Cassell, department spokesman.

Last Fourth of July, Las Vegas police received 12,500 calls to its dispatch center, including 3,800 911 emergency calls, he said. That's a 25 percent higher call volume than the department sees on New Year's Eve, he said.

Many of the Fourth of July calls come from people who believe they have heard gunshots when the sound is in fact fireworks, Cassell said.

But gunshots on Independence Day are a problem, too. Cassell urged people not to fire guns into the air. "Those rounds have to come down somewhere," he said.

Las Vegas police and other agencies will be conducting DUI checkpoints from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday to take drunken drivers off roadways.