04 November 2008
The unsafe use of fireworks can be a major cause of avoidable injury and even death. Caerphilly County Borough Council as a member of the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership is keen to make sure local people have a safe and enjoyable fireworks night, by following a few simple precautions.
Make sure you attend an organised firework display run by a competent display operator. If you will be having your own firework party however, make sure you do so in a safe place and have enough room to get to and from your fireworks while the display is going on.
Sparklers are often viewed as being harmless but they burn at extremely high temperatures and can easily cause injuries. Make sure that everyone handling sparklers wears gloves and never give them to children under 5. They must be held at arms length while being lit and must not be waved about close to other people.
A full bucket of water should be kept handy for any emergencies and for disposing of used sparklers. If you are having a bonfire, do not use patrol or paraffin to light the fire. Do not burn dangerous rubbish such as foam filled furniture, rubber, aerosols, tins of paint, pressurised gas cylinders etc.
Leave a firework that fails to ignite for at least thirty minutes. In most cases, it will then be best to immerse it in a bucket of water. Never position the body over a misfired or partly spent firework.
Please be considerate of your neighbours and to pets too as they get very frightened on fireworks night, so if possible keep them indoors. It is illegal to set fireworks off after 11pm except on bonfire night, when the restriction is midnight, and on New Year, Chinese New Year and Diwali when the restriction is 1am.
Fireworks should only be purchased from a reputable retailer, it is illegal to sell fireworks to a person under 18 and it is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to possess a firework.
Fireworks must only be sold from registered premises at certain times of the year. For bonfire night, fireworks are permitted to be sold from 15th October to 10th November.
The Fireworks Code
- Only buy fireworks marked BS 7114
- Don't drink alcohol if setting off fireworks
- Keep fireworks in a closed box
- Follow the instructions on each firework
- Light at arms length, using a taper
- Stand well back
- Never go near a firework that has been lit. Even if it hasn't gone off, it could still explode
- Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them
- Always supervise children around fireworks
- Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves
- Never give sparklers to a child under five
- Keep pets indoors
For further information, contact CCBC's Trading Standards Department on 01495 235 291.
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