Leaving it to the professionals: How fireworks can not always be fun for everyone

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - They’re loud, they’re bright, and for many, a Fourth of July staple.

“Are there people in our neighborhood? And maybe it would be a courtesy to simply ask,” said Dr. Thomas Stratton.

Fireworks provide the loud flash, the loud bang, for some folks in the community however, they can trigger a response.

“We know that the experience, the responses, are automatic,” Dr. Stratton said. “The people who survive or witness those, many of them are going to have embedded that automatic response.”

Dr. Stratton is a family physician in Evansville. He says these sounds can mimic sounds from traumatic experiences.

“Many of us have family or neighbors who may have experienced that in the past,” Dr. Stratton said. “I think we just need to think outside our own circle.”

Thinking to the summer months, Evansville Police responded to dozens of shots fired calls in the past 30 days. They could have been viable threats, but also could have been fireworks.

For neighborhoods that experience gun violence, Dr. Stratton says people don’t have to be a witness, nor a survivor of gun violence to carry the same trauma.

“Thinking outside of ourselves, thinking as a community, do we really need to do this,” Dr. Stratton asked.

So how can you ensure a safe Fourth of July fireworks display? Leave it to the professionals.

With a vast amount of displays happening across the Tri-State, you can keep the community in mind, yourself safe from any harm, and enjoy the holiday with your family the way you always do.

“We have lots of professionals in the area who can provide very rewarding shows if what you need is a bang and a flash for your family to round out the festivities,” Dr. Stratton said.

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