Fireworks injuries in low double digits

Both Via Christi Health and Wesley Healthcare reported fireworks injuries in the double digits over the Independence Day holiday.

Wesley saw 15 fireworks-related injuries between June 27 and Monday at its three locations, including eight at the Wesley West ER and Diagnostic Center from Sunday to Monday. Injuries included burns and blunt-force trauma to heads, feet, hands and abdomens, according to a news release from Wesley.

Via Christi reported 16 patients who came in with fireworks-related injuries from Sunday to Monday, though Maria Loving, communications coordinator at Via Christi, said that number could rise in the next day as more people come in with injuries from the weekend.

“Sometimes people aren’t aware of how serious their injuries are at first,” she said.

Of Via Christi’s 16 patients, six had to be hospitalized, while the remaining 10 were outpatients, Loving said.

Battalion Chief Stuart Bevis of the Wichita Fire Department said he wasn’t aware of any major fires over the holiday weekend related to fireworks. He said the department won’t have preliminary numbers about how many fires occurred during Fourth of July festivities until next week. He cited heavy rains on Saturday as a possible factor in the lack of significant fires.

Sedgwick County Emergency Communications activated a non-emergency line from Saturday at 6:30 p.m. until Tuesday at 3 a.m. in order to prevent nuisance calls from blocking emergency calls. The non-emergency line received 630 calls over the holiday weekend, up from 543 in 2015.

Emergency Communications also answered an average of 2,600 911 calls per day over the holiday weekend, up from an average of 1,908 per day in 2015. It typically receives 1,500 911 calls per day.

This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Fireworks injuries in low double digits."