NEWS RELEASE
PR 1499
For Immediate
Release
30 October
2003
Make it an
accident free Guy Fawkes Night
IN 2002 there
was one accident requiring hospital admission involving fireworks in
Bath & North East Somerset.
This year Avon Safe – an
organisation which includes Bath & North East Somerset Council, Avon
Fire Brigade and B&NES Primary Care Trust – want to see that there
are no accidents at all.
Sue Green, the Council’s Health
Development Officer, said: “We think there has been a real change in
attitudes in the last few years and people are far more safety
conscious.
“However one accident is one to
many. Firework burns are extremely unpleasant injuries. Not only are
they painful, but they take a long time to heal and can leave
permanent ugly scars. They are also avoidable. All you need is a
little extra care and a little planning.”
John Green, Spokesman for Avon Fire
Brigade, said: “All the family should visit an organised display,
and why not invite friends to make it a truly social occasion. As
most incidents involving fireworks occur during family displays in
their own back gardens.
“But if you do decide to have a
display in your back garden then follow our safety tips.”
-
Fireworks should be marked with
B.S. 7114
-
Instructions on each of the
fireworks should be followed at all times, and the remaining
fireworks kept in a closed box away from the bonfire and other
fireworks.
-
Remain in a safe position away
from the fireworks and bonfire and don’t leave a bonfire
unattended.
-
Ensure children are supervised at
all times.
-
Wear gloves when holding sparklers
and NEVER give them to children under the age of FIVE.
-
On the night, keep your pets safe
and indoors.
-
Remember, STAY AWAY from fireworks
that have not immediately gone off, as they may still explode.
-
Keep a hosepipe or a bucket of
water nearby for safety reasons and it may be used to extinguish
the fire after the event.
-
Site the bonfire well away from
fences, hedges, garden structures and buildings.
-
Make it a night to remember not a
day to forget.
Nationwide, a
high proportion of accidents occur to children under 18 – in other
words, to children who are too young to buy fireworks legally.
Roger Pope, the Council’s Principal
Trading Standards Officer, said: “This is partly because people
underestimate how easy it is to get a burn from sparklers – when
lit, sparklers can get six times as hot as a pan of cooking oil.
“And of course in the relaxed
atmosphere of a firework party with a few beers flowing, parents may
forget to supervise youngsters as closely as they need to.
“Fireworks are explosives, not
toys. If you give a child a firework or sell a child a firework you
are not bringing a little fun into their life, you are risking their
sight.”
Notes to Editors:
Avon Safe is an organisation that
co-ordinates safety campaigns locally. Its members include
representatives from the Fire Brigade, the PCT, the Road Safety
section of the Council and Trading Standards. The local
representative is Sue Green, the Health Development Officer for Bath
& North East Somerset.
Last year there were 1,017 accidents
involving fireworks across the country sufficiently serious to
require hospital treatment – of these 637occurred to young people
under 20.
All shops that are believed likely
to sell fireworks have been sent a pack explaining legal
requirements for the storage of fireworks (enforce by Avon Fire
Brigade) and the sale of fireworks (enforced by Trading Standards).
It is illegal to sell fireworks to a child under 18, and it is
likely that by next year it will be an offence for a child under 18
to possess fireworks.
For more information, contact:
Sue Green, Health
Development Officer, on Tel: 01225 477562 or e-mail sue_green@bathnes.gov.uk
John Green, Avon Fire Brigade, on
Tel: 0117 9262061 ext 462
Roger Pope, Principal Trading
Standards Officer, on Tel: 01225 396750 or e-mail roger_pope@bathnes.gov.uk
For comment,
contact:
Cllr Vic
Pritchard, Executive Member for Community Safety and Housing, on
Tel: 01275 333159 or e-mail vic_pritchard@bathnes.gov.uk
Issued by: Bath &
North East Somerset Press Office, tel 01225 477827 or 477283, email:
pressoffice@bathnes.gov.uk |
