These words usually precede an act of carelessness, or outright reckless abandon. They can certainly make a parent tremble when the words are coming from his or her "No Fear" 5-year-old. Instinctively, the parent will quickly head toward the sound, expecting the best but mentally preparing for the worst.

When he or she sees the child hanging by their knees ten feet above the ground on the monkey bars, the trembling turns to a gasp. As they run to be the safety net, many prayers are said and promises made, if only this little one can remain unharmed.

The next reaction by both parents would be relief, thankfulness, and anger at their child for not realizing the danger in which they had put them self. Many parents have said their lives have been shortened by five or more years by the antics of their kids!

However, the fault remains with the parents individually and collectively for assuming the little one actually was able to make that risk analysis and arrive at the only logical conclusion: that being five and falling from that height onto one's head would certainly result in paralysis or death.

Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw Commanding General DDEAMC It is the realization that comes to the parents in a wave of relief that this simple act of childhood fun could have been a tragedy that would have been relived daily for the rest of their lives. That's when we all would resolve to watch our children a little bit better and to remember that their thought processes and danger recognition signals are not the same as ours. The point is, we as parents need to recognize that our children probably will not be able to arrive at the conclusion that an activity is unsafe. Therefore, we must be constantly alert for the "watch this" phrase, but even more so during the summer months.

There are many ways to enjoy summer here in the Central Savannah River Area. We have one of the largest lakes on the east coast practically at our back door. You can even go swimming with the alligators in the Savannah River. But what about your children? Would you let them go swimming with the 'gators? Of course not. Then why are so many of you unafraid about giving your children access to fireworks?

In 2001, there were 9500 injuries caused by fireworks that were treated in hospital emergency rooms. How many did not receive treatment, and as such are not recorded? Probably thousands. Some of the simplest fireworks are the most dangerous. A sparkler burns at 1000 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and its sparks are super heated bits of metal, like what you see when someone is grinding metal or welding. Obviously, these white hot pieces of metal can cause burns or ignite paper or dried grass, but what happens if it gets in an eye? Instant permanent damage may be the result.

Another concern is the wire onto which the sparkler compound is attached. After the sparkler mixture has been depleted and the last bit of showering metal has cooled, the wire holding it is still red hot. These can cause second and third degree burns as well as ignite unprotected combustibles. (Brown, 2009)

Let's make this our safest 4th of July ever by following these rules:

·Only buy and use fireworks that are legal.

·Buy sparklers from a licensed, reputable dealer. If they don't have the required hazardous material labeling on them, don't buy.

·Prepare by putting a pail of water in the yard. Make putting the wire into the pail part of the fun.

·Don't let the kids run with them. Show them how to write things or draw pictures in the air. Always have them point it away from their body and others.

·Keep them away from toddlers who can reach out and grab something faster than a Cobra can strike.

·Know how many you have and account for all the wires. Stepping on a hot one with bare feet is bad, but starting a grass fire or hitting them with the mower is much more dangerous.

DDEAMC Calendar of events

Monthly Observances

Vision Research

Month

Fireworks Safety

Month

Home Safety Month

SERMC/DDEAMC Change of Command

July 17 8 a.m., Barton Field

School Screening

Clinics:

July 18 and 25,

August 1

First time Georgia students, must be eligible for care at DDEAMC and in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting Systems. Call (706) 787- 7300, M-F 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., to schedule an appointment or for more information.

To submit questions or suggest article topics, e-mail ikeshealthnet@amedd.army.mil