COLUMBUS -- Ohioans are being urged NOT to use back yard fireworks because of the high fire danger from extremely dry conditions, the risk of personal injury -- specifically to young children -- and the potential penalty for breaking Ohio's fireworks law.

In 2011, 9,600 people were treated in emergency departments for firework-related injuries, an increase of 1,000 injuries over the previous year.

This year, beyond the penalty for lighting fireworks in Ohio, you pose a greater danger to your community if you try a back yard fireworks show.

Central and southern Ohio were down two inches of rain in May and are already almost two inches behind normal for June.  Below average rainfall is forecast through the July 4th holiday.

Low humidity, dry surface conditions and wind gusts have elevated the fire danger.

Do not flick a lighter, light a match or set off a firework because you cannot be prepared for what will come next because of these extremely dry conditions.

Have questions about Ohio's fireworks law? Read Ohio fireworks questions and answers 

Tips to prevent fireworks-related injuries:

• Do not purchase, use or store fireworks of any type. Be aware that even sparklers are dangerous and cause 36 percent of fireworks injuries in children five years old and younger. 
• Protect yourself, your family and your friends by avoiding fireworks. Attend only authorized public fireworks displays conducted by licensed operators, but be aware that even professional displays can be dangerous.
• Support policies that ban the importation, general sale and indiscriminate usage of fireworks by children and adults.
• The Ohio Eye Care Coalition offers the following guidance in responding to eye injuries: Do not delay medical attention, even for seemingly mild injuries. "Mild" injuries can worsen and end in vision loss or even blindness that might not have occurred had a doctor provided treatment early on.
• Do not rub the eye nor attempt to rinse out the eye.
• Avoid giving aspirin or ibuprofen to try to reduce the pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs thin the blood and might increase bleeding. Acetaminophen is the over-the-counter drug of choice.
• Do not apply ointment or any medication. It is probably not sterile. Also, ointments make the eye area slippery, which could slow the doctor's examination.

An estimated 6,200 fireworks-related injuries, or 65 percent of people treated, occurred during the one-month period surrounding the Fourth of July Holiday.

Prevent Blindness Ohio, the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of State Fire Marshal, the Child Injury Prevention Alliance, and the Ohio Eye Care Coalition joined forces at the State Fire Marshal's Office Wednesday to talk about the advisories.

All of the groups support a total ban on backyard fireworks, including sparklers, which are widely available at grocery and department stores.

"For children under the age of five, sparklers accounted for the largest number of estimated injuries at 400 injuries (36 percent) of the total injuries in that age group.

Injuries to children under the age of 15 accounted for 26 percent of the estimated firework-related injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's 2011 Annual Fireworks Report released Tuesday.

Children and young adults under 20 years old had 36 percent of the estimated injuries. Sparklers accounted for an estimated 1,100 injuries.

The part of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (estimated 2,900 injuries), eyes (1,100 injuries), head, face, and ears (1,100 injuries), and legs (700 injuries).

There are three types of fireworks in Ohio, all of which are hazardous:

Trick and novelty items, such as sparklers and snakes, that can be legally sold and used by anyone;

Exhibitor fireworks, which require a license to sell, purchase and use; and

Consumer class fireworks, such as bottle rockets and roman candles, which require a license to sell.

Consumer fireworks can be purchased by anyone over the age of 18, but must be removed from the state within a certain timeframe and cannot be legally discharged in Ohio.

Fireworks Safety Facts:

In 2011,9,600 people were treated in emergency departments for firework-related injuries. There were four fireworks-related deaths. 6,200 of the injuries (65 percent) occurred during a one-month period around the Fourth of July Holiday.

Sparklers (1,100), Firecrackers (800), and bottle rockets (300) accounted for the most injuries last year. The part of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (estimated 2,900 injuries), eyes (1,100 injuries), head, face, and ears (1,100 injuries), and legs (700 injuries).

Sparklers, often given to young children, burn at 1,200 degrees or even hotter - hot enough to melt copper. For children under the age of five, sparklers accounted for the largest number of estimated injuries at 400 injuries (36 percent) of the total injuries in that age group.

The major causes of injuries are due to delayed or early fireworks explosions, errant flight paths of rockets, debris from aerial fireworks, and mishandling of sparklers.

In 2011, fireworks sparked 90 fires in Ohio causing $590,465 in damages. The size of the fireworks product is no indication of the amount of the explosive material inside it.

WKYC-TV