Home / About Us / Press Room / MMA says leave fireworks to the professionals this summer

MMA says leave fireworks to the professionals this summer

June 27, 2019

Once again, the Minnesota Medical Association is urging Minnesotans to leave the lighting of fireworks to the professionals this Fourth of July.

“Every year more and more Minnesotans are ending up in the emergency department when they get hurt setting off fireworks,” said MMA President Doug Wood, MD. “We’d prefer that they leave these often-unpredictable devices to the professionals.”  

According to 2017 data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on average, 280 people go to the emergency department every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday. Thirty-six percent of the injuries involved children under the age of 14. The most commonly injured body parts included: hands and fingers (31 percent); head, face and ears (22 percent); legs (17 percent) and eyes (14 percent).

“We’d prefer that fireworks weren’t available commercially,” Wood said. “As long as they are, we strongly recommend that Minnesotans leave them to the experts who are trained in handling them.”

More Publications

Latest Press Releases

Minnesota Physicians Focus on Five Priorities for Legislative Session

February 11, 2026

The state’s largest advocacy group for Minnesota physicians and physicians-in-training will advocate for five key legislative priorities at the Capitol this session, which begins February 17. The group will hold its annual Physicians’ Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 4, bringing together physicians and physicians-in-training from across the state to meet with their elected officials.

“Dozens of healthcare-related bills go through the Capitol each session,” said Lisa Mattson, MD, the Minnesota Medical Association’s (MMA) president. “But to make an impact for patients and medical practice in Minnesota, we really need to focus our efforts on a few top issues.”

Minnesota Physicians Urge Congressional Delegation to Restrict ICE, CBP Activities in Healthcare Facilities and Other Sensitive Locations, and to Ensure Access to Medical Care at Detention Facilities

February 6, 2026

On February 5, the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA), along with several other physician advocacy groups, sent a letter to the Minnesota Congressional Delegation urging Congress, as a condition of ongoing funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activities in or near healthcare facilities and other sensitive locations, and to hold DHS accountable for ensuring that detainees are provided with appropriate medical care, food, water, and other basic human needs.

MMA statement on CDC’s revision to childhood vaccine schedule

January 5, 2026

The Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) is deeply concerned with the recent decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise the childhood vaccine schedule. The changes add unnecessary confusion and uncertainty around vaccines that have been shown to be both safe and effective. Minnesota law continues to require evidence-based vaccinations for childcare and school attendance. The MMA urges parents and families to talk directly with their physicians about the critical role that childhood vaccines play in preventing serious disease and death, and in protecting the most vulnerable members or our communities.