24/10/2020
There have been renewed calls for the ban of over the counter firework sales, with some concerned that COVID-19 will cause more people to operate small, but dangerous, displays in their back gardens.
The fact that the large, professionally organised, displays will not be going ahead will quite probably increase risks elsewhere quite significantly.
Back garden displays, or any other instance where ordinary members of the public set off fireworks, so not generally have the benefit of detailed risk assessments, insurance coverage or the engagement of professionals.
I was, for a couple of decades, involved with the provision of large, successful fireworks events as a member of my local Round Table. These displays were planned and organised with great attention to detail. Typically, the preparation for one year's November fireworks display would start within a couple of weeks of the previous years display having been successfully facilitated.
The events organised by my own club required many, many hours of planning, including:
meetings with senior police officers and agreement to fund police operations linked to the event;
the documenting of risk assessments, that were submitted to relevant authorities for review and sign off;
regular committee meetings, exploring potential risks and discussing options;
the provision of adequate safety barriers, marshals and on-site emergency teams;
setting up lighting to ensure that attendees moving around the site could do so safely;
ensuring there was insurance with significant levels of cover to deal with any potential issues;
ensuring there was the availability of manpower to help attendees park safely;
making sure that manpower was on site to help people leave the site carefully and safely, before securing the expensive lighting rigs and other equipment; and
delivering teams to return the following day to break down temporary security structures, remove expensive equipment that had been hired for the event, and ensure that all 'debris' was cleared up - not just the spent fireworks, but the general mess (litter) left behind by the general public.
Putting on such events is not easy.
Sadly, the alternative is the typical back garden display.
Many of these involve people buying fireworks from retail stores where the staff have no understanding of the risks involved with the material they are selling.
In the vast majority of cases, the people buying the fireworks have no training in the handling of such pyrotechnics and are ill-equipped to understand what steps they should take to minimise the risk of injury to those watching the display.
All too frequently, the people taking charge of the fireworks are dangerously unaware of the risks. In many cases, they are under the influence of alcohol by the time they attempt to start the display. Mistakes are made.
Amber Lewis, pictured above after a firework robbed her of an eye, wasn't knowingly taking significant risks.
That didn't prevent the life altering injuries she suffered.
Last year, as with previous years, emergency services workers were attacked by yobs using (amongst other things) fireworks as weapons. Police officers, firefighters and paramedics are targeted and suffer injuries as a result of drunken individuals armed with pyrotechnics; the fireworks they can so easily buy in supermarkets and garden centres (amongst others).
There is no reason why we should accept this situation continuing.
Fireworks can provide stunningly beautiful entertainment for people; individuals, couples, families, children...
However, they can also lead to extreme pain and long term disability.
No-one should have to endure the horror of a firework going off in their face. Disfigurement caused by negligence or deliberate fireworks attacks could be avoided if we would just introduce far greater controls in respect of the sale of such explosives.
Hopefully, next year, the amazing organised displays will make a return.
In the meantime, I urge people to resist the urge to pretend they are skilled enough to safely send rockets into the sky.
Comments