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Fireworks Safety Checklist

Easy 24 items · 30 min
testuser's avatar
testuser Published 10 hours ago
Lifestyle

Diwali, Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve all fall in the last three months of the year, so many households set off fireworks more than once before January. Run through this list each time, from checking what is allowed where you live to walking the garden the next morning.

Sparklers are often handed to small children as the gentle option. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission puts their burning temperature at about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The wire stays hot for a while after the sparks stop.

A firework that fails to go off is the other trap. Do not go back to it or try to light it again. Give it a long wait, then soak it from the hose or the bucket before anyone touches it.

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  1. Check whether fireworks are legal where you live, and on which days — Rules differ by city, state and country, and some places allow them only on set days or at set hours.
  2. Consider going to a public display instead
  3. Buy only from a licensed seller — Skip anything unlabeled or sold loose, and never make your own.
  4. Read the instructions on each firework before the night — Many carry a minimum safe distance for spectators; set the seating behind it.
  5. Store them in a closed box somewhere cool and dry, away from flames and children
  6. Tell the neighbors when you plan to set them off — People with nervous pets or a young baby can then plan around it.
  7. Bring pets indoors before dark and give them a quiet room
  8. Pick a flat, hard, open spot to light from — Keep it well away from houses, parked cars, dry grass, trees and overhead wires.
  9. Set out a full bucket of water and a connected garden hose
  10. Keep a first-aid kit at hand and know what to do for a burn — The NHS advises cooling a burn under cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes, then laying cling film loosely over it.
  11. Choose one adult to do all the lighting, and keep that person off alcohol
  12. Have that person wear close-fitting cotton and tie long hair back — Synthetic fabric can melt onto skin, and a loose dupatta or scarf can catch a spark.
  13. Wear safety glasses while lighting
  14. Light each firework with a long lighter or an incense stick, at arm's length — Never lean over a firework while lighting it.
  15. Light one at a time, then step well back
  16. Never point or throw a firework at people, animals or buildings
  17. Never hold a lit firework in your hand, other than a sparkler
  18. Keep children behind the spectators' line the whole time
  19. Give children under five glow sticks instead of sparklers
  20. Hand out sparklers one at a time, with gloves on, held at arm's length — Light them outside, and make sure no one runs or waves them near someone else.
  21. Drop each finished sparkler hot end down into the bucket of water
  22. Leave a dud alone — Do not go back to it, relight it or pick it up. Wait, then soak it from the hose or the bucket.
  23. Soak every spent firework in water before it goes in the trash
  24. Walk the area the next morning and pick up debris — Do it before children or pets go out, and soak anything that looks unburnt.
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