BATON ROUGE — Every year around New Year's and the Fourth of July, you will hear a lot of warnings about firework safety.

There is a reason for that; they really are dangerous.

"So, despite preventive measures and campaigns on firework safety, every year we end up with a lot of injuries, a lot more than we would like to see. And the most common injuries are usually to the hand or the fingers. The other most common places: the face, the ears, and the general area up here. So very, very dangerous," Urgent Care Physician Dr. Allan Capin said.

Experts say you really should leave the fireworks to the professionals, but if you do use them, there are a number of things to know.

First, the laws where you live. For instance, it is illegal to set off fireworks in East Baton Rouge. But you can set them off in Ascension, except for Gonzales and Donaldsonville, and in Livingston Parish except for Denham Springs and Walker.

Next, be sure to wear protective gear and safety glasses.

Choose a location with an open area and a hard flat surface away from buildings and vehicles.

Have a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher handy.

If a firework does not go off do not try to relight it. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then soak it in water, wrap it in plastic, then throw it away.

“The other topic that's very common is the involvement of children. It's very important that children do not get involved at all. Even the sparklers, which are very, very famous. They tend to burn at about 2,000 degrees and they can cause a lot of injury. It's enough to melt a piece of metal. But we do have safer alternatives for children, which are usually the party poppers or the snaps or the silly strings. Those are things that they can use that they could still enjoy and celebrate with and be included in the festivities," Dr. Capin said.

If you do suffer a minor burn from a firework, do not put ice on it as that can make it even worse.

Instead, wash the burn under cool water.

If the pain persists or you have any other injuries get medical care.