WITH Bonfire Night fast approaching, Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service is warning people not to take risks with fireworks.
A spokesman said: “While most people treat fireworks with respect, a small minority treat them as toys and forget that they are actually explosives.”
To stay safe remember the following advice:
- Keep pets indoors and ensure that children are kept safe.
- Make sure that fireworks are kept in a closed box and use them one at a time.
- Read and follow the instructions on each firework, using a torch if necessary.
- Light the firework at arm’s length with a taper and stand well back.
- Keep naked flames, including cigarettes, away.
- Never return to a firework once it has been lit.
- Don’t put fireworks in pockets and never throw them.
- Direct any rocket fireworks well away from spectators.
- Be particularly careful if you are anywhere near thatched properties.
- Never put fireworks, even those which are fully spent, on a bonfire.
- Safely dispose of fully spent fireworks.
- Soak misfired or partly spent fireworks in a container of water in an area where they cannot be tampered with (preferably away from the display site) and contact the manufacturer or supplier for advice on disposal.
- Bonfires present additional hazards so, if you must light a bonfire in connection with a fireworks display: Site well away from houses, garages, sheds, fences, overhead cables, trees and shrubs, and always away from fireworks.
- Before lighting the fire, check that no pets or children are hiding inside it.
- Build the stack so that it is stable and will not collapse outwards or to one side.
- Never use flammable liquids such as paraffin or petrol to light the fire.
- Don’t burn foam-filled furniture, aerosols, tins of paint or bottles.
- Keep everyone away from the fire, especially children, who must be supervised all the time.
- In case of emergency, keep buckets of water, the garden hose or a fire extinguisher ready.
- Pour water on the embers before leaving the bonfire.
More safety advice at wiltsfire.gov.uk/safetyoutdoors
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