UCHealth emergency physician provides safety tips for celebrating July Fourth holiday
Aurora, Colo. (July 2, 2025) – UCHealth emergency departments are preparing for an increased number of patients this Fourth of July weekend, and experts are encouraging Coloradans to celebrate the holiday safely with their family and friends.
“Our emergency department at University of Colorado Hospital is always equipped to handle these types of injuries, and we have our burn and trauma teams ready to step in as well,” said Dr. Cody McIlvain, an emergency medicine physician at UCHealth. “In addition to holiday-related injuries, we still see everyday emergency room patients, so we have increased staffing just in case.”
Dr. McIlvain warns that if you plan to shoot off fireworks this holiday weekend, make sure they’re ignited and handled by a sober adult. Children should always be supervised around fireworks — even non-explosive types such as sparklers, which can burn up to 2,000 degrees.
Nationwide, nearly 15,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for firework-related injuries in 2024.
“Injuries from fireworks can include burns, as well as hand and eye injuries. Some of these injuries, like lost fingers, can leave people disabled for life,” McIlvain said.
He also recommends wearing eye protection while lighting fireworks and keeping a bucket of water nearby in case of a fire.
In addition to firework injuries, experts also remind parents to make sure children are supervised around pools or lakes, and to never operate a vehicle after consuming alcohol.
About UCHealth
UCHealth is a nationally recognized nonprofit health system that pushes the boundaries of medicine through advanced treatments and clinical trials, improving health through innovation and providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. Investing $1.3 billion in community benefits including $570 million in uncompensated care each year, UCHealth is Colorado’s largest Medicaid provider and dedicated to the communities it serves. With the region’s only adult academic medical center, University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, UCHealth includes 35,000 employees, 14 acute-care hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, Wyoming and western Nebraska.