Eyes that see the good in things- July 1, 2019

What is your traditional Fourth of July celebration like? Getting together with family is my favorite tradition. Often we visit my husband’s hometown to celebrate with family. It is a small town that prides itself for its July 4 celebrations and the city rarely disappoints with their planned events, and of course, fireworks. The firemen put on a show and people set off their amateur fireworks for about a week prior and following the Fourth of July.

This holiday comes with its own set of unique safety warning to be smart and stay safe. CHI St. Alexius posted a reminder about the danger of fireworks. In recent years, fireworks have been one of the leading causes of serious injuries that require hospital emergency room treatment.

Fireworks can result in severe burns, fractures, scars or even disfigurement or death. The thousands of serious injuries each year typically harm the eyes, head or hands. Even sparklers, which are considered by many to be harmless, reach temperatures of more than 1000° Fahrenheit. Water boils at 212°, cakes bake at 350°, wood burns at 575° and glass melts at 900° and that seemingly harmless sparkler burns at 1200° degrees. Important things to remember.

The veterinarian’s office posted the warning saying that shelters say their busiest day of the year is July 5 as thousands of pets are lost July 4. The unpredictable and loud fireworks startle pets that are normally fine with loud noise and cause pets to react in fear.

The easiest way to keep your pet safe over the holiday is to leave them home. But even at home, an anxious pet might become frightened and run, so pet owners are advised to be vigilant for pets who may run with company coming and going.

If pets are used to sleeping in a crate, that may be the place where they feel the safest until the fireworks noises subside. A radio or television masks the fireworks noise. Speak with your veterinarian in advance for anxiety medication, if you know that your pet becomes anxious during fireworks. If you do plan to take your pet with you, make sure they are on a leash and that its identification tags have your telephone number.

Then there was this post, it showed a picture of a veteran holding a sign in his yard. The sign read, Combat Veteran. Please be courteous with fireworks. And I realized in an instant that these combat veterans we are specifically trying to honor on this day, are the very people who can find the celebrations difficult.

For thousands of vets, the fireworks of Independence Day that we use in our celebrations can be a trigger for difficult memories. For the many vets dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, the sound of the fireworks popping is all too similar to the sound of combat.

In less than 24 hours, more than 100,000 people shared this Facebook post, many of them veterans acknowledging the challenges of neighbors shooting off fireworks without thinking of the consequences of those nearby.

“It’s a nice statement that people are picking up and sharing that,” says Barbara Van Dahlen, a Washington, D.C. area psychologist and founder of Give An Hour, which provides free behavioral health counseling to troops, veterans and families. “The sensitivity here is that if you know that your next-door neighbor served... and you’re planning to have a fireworks display in your backyard, it’s probably the thoughtful thing to do to let them know,” she says.

Emotional reactions to loud noises or sounds that bring memories of traumatic events can be very common among veterans and non-veterans, she says. In some cases, where these reactions or memories are strong and recurring over time, they can amount to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.

In either case, she says, the concern is not that a veteran might react violently, but that the fireworks “could send somebody into a very painful, stressful, emotional experience remembering a firefight or a buddy who was killed.”

Research findings differ, but an estimated 7% to 20% of the more than 2.5 million veterans and troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are believed to have developed PTSD.

The disorder is characterized by emotionally re-experiencing or remembering traumatic events, the thoughts involuntarily triggered for combat veterans by the sound of an explosion or gunfire, or even certain sights and smells, according to a recent report by the Institute of Medicine.

The signs in the Facebook post are posted on the lawns of veterans’ homes to alert people to be more considerate when setting off fireworks in the area. The signs are not meant to quash any Fourth of July celebrations, but to raise awareness that the explosive sounds, flashes of light and smell of powder may trigger unwelcome memories for some.

“If you are a veteran, on the one hand July 4 should be one of the most patriotic holidays that you feel a part of,” says Dr. John Markowitz, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. “On the other hand, the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in air are likely to evoke traumatic memories, and you might want to hide. It’s a tricky one.”

Having advance knowledge of a fireworks display can help people with PTSD to better prepare and cope with any symptoms they may experience. “A big component of the startle response and PTSD is the unexpected,” says Rachel Tester, program director of the Law Enforcement, Active Duty, Emergency Responder (LEADER) Program at Harvard Medical School’s McLean Hospital. “When people are able to anticipate, they are able to put into place mechanisms they have to cope ahead of time.”

That might include things such as relaxation techniques or being able to see the fireworks show and therefore know that they’re coming, as well as having headphones, music or other distractions at the ready.

These strategies may not work for every PTSD patient but being more aware of how the explosive celebrations might affect someone with PTSD is a step toward ensuring that everyone can enjoy the holiday without fear, anxiety or pain.

According to Shawn Gourley, the co-founder of the non-profit group, Military with PTSD, “July 4 can be torture for many vets. Some go camping to get away from the city and the fireworks. Others just put some heavy-duty headphones on.”

“The purpose of these signs is not to stop fireworks, no veteran wants that,” Gourley said. “It’s the days leading up to and the days leading away from July 4, when it’s unexpected, that’s what the problem is.”

If you see one of these signs please notify the veteran when you will be using fireworks so that they can take the proper measures. That’s all you have to do to be respectful.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

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