First responders share Halloween fireworks horror stories

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – They may be colourful, fun and go hand-in-hand with Halloween, but a stern warning from some first responders that fireworks are incredibly dangerous. And you’re being cautioned to take some extra precautions if you’re going to be around them this weekend or on Halloween, which falls on a Tuesday this year.

Vancouver Fire Captain Jonathan Gormick has seen it all. He explains crews are often called out to deal with burns and in one case a few years ago a young woman lost an eye while being around an illegal firecracker.

He says you have to be 19-years-old to apply for a permit, which you need just to buy fireworks. “I think the biggest thing is to read the directions on the firework and that might seem simplistic but it’ll tell you whether it needs to be on pavement or whether it needs to be stabilized by having the base buried in sand or earth. And it’ll tell you which way points up and that sounds oversimplified but we’ve seen multiple occasions where either a firework has tipped over because it’s supposed to be buried in sand and someone has just set it on pavement or it has been pointed in the wrong direction and fired the incendiaries into a crowd of people.”

Gormick says once you get your hands on some fireworks, make sure they’re legal. “We’re very strict with enforcement on retailers. There are fines in place. We can close them down. We can confiscate their inventory and we can restrict their permitting next year, so, it’s in their best interest to adhere to the restrictions.”

One issue both police and firefighters deal with every Halloween involve the use of Roman Candles. “It’s obviously a problem, otherwise we wouldn’t have felt the need to put restrictions in. You can buy Roman Candles, but only as part of a family pack. If we find a retailer that’s selling them individually or small, inexpensive ones that are less than a diameter of a quarter, then they can be fined because that’s not allowed in the city.”

A reminder that you’re only allowed to light fireworks on Halloween night and it has to be on private property, meaning, you can’t go to a park and set them off. If you do and you’re caught, the fine could run you $500 or more.

Gormick is stressing to keep fireworks away from anything that could catch fire, like dry hedges for example. “If you’re backyard is small and there’s no room to set them off, maybe work with a neighbour that has a bigger backyard and offer to go in together on fireworks.”

He says firecrackers are not allowed, but fireworks are. “As defined in the bylaw, if it emits a noise it also has to emit a flash, so something that just emits a bang is not allowed.”

 

For more information on how to apply for a permit click here.