Come Tuesday night, the inky night sky above London will light up with beautiful bursts of colour as people set off fireworks to celebrate Canada’s 147th birthday.
While the displays are undoubtedly beautiful, the London Fire Department is urging the public to put safety first if they choose to put on their own shows.
Fire Prevention Officer James Hind tells AM980 it’s very important for anyone lighting fireworks to read and follow the directions they come with carefully because there are often different instructions for the sparkling explosives.
He also recommends putting a safe distance between spectators and the fireworks, saying 18 metres is usually the recommended distance.
“These are explosive devices and a lot of times inside you’ll have things like plastic shells and you’ll have different mechanisms that they use to produce the different types of effects that each firework does so there could be a lot of fallout inside of that,” Hind says.
If you do decide to put on your own display, Hind says you should make sure you have some kind of extinguisher with you. He says a water hose, pail or a bucket of sand are good options to have on hand should sparks turn into flames.
He also cautions people to be on the lookout for ‘dud’ fireworks that don’t light saying they should be placed in water to make sure they don’t ignite later and cause a fire.
Even sparklers, a favourite with young children and those simply young at heart, can pose a safety risk if not handled properly.
“When you light a sparkler, it produces a beautiful effect,” Hind says. “But…that is hot enough to actually make the steel red so you’re talking very, very high temperatures.”
“It’s very hot so if a kid touches that they’re going to get very severe third degree burns.”
Source: Fire Department Urges Caution Ahead Of Canada Day Fireworks Fun | (CFPL AM) AM 980
