Fire risks with fireworks during a heatwave – How we ensure health and safety.
Believe it or not fire seldom features very highly in the risks facing a fireworks company. On damp November nights it rarely poses a threat but in this almost unprecedented summer heatwave the fire risk with fireworks displays has suddenly jumped to the top of the agenda.
With fields full of bone dry crops and parks and gardens yellow with dying grass right now the risk of fire is very high.
Careful re-assessment of firing sites
To ensure our displays can go ahead safely we are taking extra precautions. We are revisiting all our firing sites to assess the risk. Very precise maps of the areas are being plotted showing where burning debris might land.
Precautions taken at recent displays
At Henley Regatta fireworks this month (pictured here) we liaised very closely with the local fire and rescue service. Our firing site was on a steeply sloping field surrounded by woodland and fields of ripe corn. Despite the heatwave the short grass under foot was still quite green and unlikely to catch fire. Nevertheless we damped down the immediate area around the fireworks, which is where much of the burning debris would land.
We had a team of spotters armed with fire extinguishers dotted at points further away, some in the woods (though the dense tree canopy would catch any debris) and some by the cornfields. As an extra precaution we even hired in a team of professional fire-fighters and their 500-gallon capacity fire engine!
On top of all this our professional approach extended to designing the display in such a way that we eliminated many special effects that could have produced higher amounts of burning debris. We also configured the display so that instead of spreading the fireworks far and wide, as we would do in most other circumstances, we fired them in a very narrow aerial corridor to minimise the risk of a fire springing up where we couldn’t get to it in time.
Henley Regatta fireworks and all our many other shows so far this month have gone ahead safely thanks to the joint efforts of the organisers and ourselves.
Why it’s important
We do these things because if we didn’t, the consequences could be very damaging both for us and the fireworks industry in general. The cost of stewarding events in general is already putting great strains on the coffers of the organisers. By going the extra mile and doing our own bit to help we continue to set the standard in firework safety and professionalism.
So, if you’re considering organising a display during the warmest summer months, it’s worth knowing that a display can be delivered if the correct precautionary steps are taken. If you have any questions regarding this, our friendly team are always here to give expert advice.
Feel free to give us a call on 01582 485555 or send us an email at [email protected] with any burning questions!
Also, here is a link to Event Fire Solutions, the excellent fire safety company that we have worked with during this recent heatwave: http://www.eventfiresolutions.co.uk