Last New Year, 1,239 fireworks victims were helped at medical aid stations, more than 6 percent more than last time. The number of victims at general practitioner offices decreased somewhat – by 4 percent -, but in emergency departments it increased sharply: by 29 percent.
This is evident from the annual reporting which VeiligheidNL, a knowledge center for injury prevention, published on Monday. “The results mean that after several years of a slight decline, there is now an increase again,” notes director Martijntje Bakker.
The increase may be explained by the ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks that will probably apply from next year, Bakker thinks: “Maybe people wanted to go wild again.” Bakker points out that in the run-up to New Year’s Eve, there was a lot of media attention for the fact that this year was the last time this type of consumer fireworks could be set off: “A record amount of money was also spent on fireworks.”
Surgeons
The number of 474 fireworks victims in the emergency room is the highest since the turn of the year 2015-2016, when 482 victims received emergency care in the hospital. “That high number is very worrying,” says Bakker, “especially because the injuries in emergency departments are more serious than in GP surgeries.”
This can be seen, among other things, in the number of amputated limbs. This New Year’s Eve there were approximately twenty amputations, twice as many as last year. The organization of plastic surgeons, the NVPC, reported Saturday that affiliated doctors treated 93 patients with fireworks injuries this New Year, compared to 62 the year before.
What is striking in the SafetyNL figures is how many children and young people have become victims: more than half are younger than 20 years old. “More children than last year were seriously injured because they picked up unexploded fireworks,” says Bakker. When the children tried to light the fireworks, they still exploded. The total number of victims under the age of 12 in emergency departments increased by 40 percent compared to last year.
The differences between the 25 safety regions are large, according to an analysis by NRC. For example, there were virtually no victims per 100,000 inhabitants in Flevoland and Zaanstreek-Waterland. The most victims per 100,000 inhabitants were in Haaglanden, Gelderland-Zuid and Kennemerland. Amsterdam-Amstelland and Rotterdam-Rijnmond are in the middle bracket.
Kennemerland
Leaders Haaglanden (including The Hague) and Gelderland-Zuid (including Zaltbommel and Tiel) have a long history of turbulent new years. Last New Year, the fire brigade often had to take action again, as an analysis by NRC showed. In Kennemerland there appears to be a one-off outlier, because in previous years the number of victims was much lower. The same applies to Drenthe, which has gone from 0 to 17 victims in one year.
“People seem to have taken more risks when lighting fireworks this New Year than in previous years,” says Bakker. This is despite the fact that information about the dangers has been provided for years. In addition, measures have already been taken, such as lighting bans in some municipalities and a ban on certain types of – heavy – fireworks.
“That is not enough to prevent victims,” sighs Bakker. Although the importance of safety glasses has been emphasized for years, to give an example, only 7 percent of fireworks victims wore glasses. Bakker: “So the only thing we think that will really help is a complete ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks for consumers.”
Also read
Fireworks have always been completely useless but of terrible beauty
Illegal
This belief is based on experiences during the corona years, when lighting fireworks was completely prohibited. For example, at New Year’s Eve 2020-2021, the total number of victims at GP surgeries and emergency departments was less than four hundred, a third of the number at New Year’s Eve. Bakker: “A general ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks could lead to a significant decrease in victims in the short term.”
Almost half of the victims are caused by illegal fireworks. Those fireworks have not disappeared immediately, Bakker acknowledges: “In the longer term, the ban will hopefully contribute to creating a new standard, which can also prevent serious injuries from serious illegal fireworks.
With the cooperation of Roos Liefting
The journalistic principles of NRC