Staying Safe During Bonfire Night

Posted 5 years ago by aequitaslegal in

It’s time to dig out your sparkler proof gloves and safely put all pets in a noise free environment. November 5th is upon us and in a matter of weeks – Bonfire night will be falling on a weekend with celebrations being bigger and brighter than ever before. Skies will be filled with an array of explosions of colours and a tremendous amount of noise, but first lets get the serious bits over and done with.

As mentioned, Bonfire night is fast approaching however during this time of year the number of serious accidents and injuries are also on the rise. At Aequitas Legal we have put together some fun facts and some serious stats for you all to consider whilst having fun and staying safe during Bonfire night.

From available research in 2013* there have been 990 injuries caused by fireworks during the period of October and November. 494 of those were children who were injured by sparklers or fireworks. 479 victims of various ages needed hospital treatment. 285 of those injured were eye injuries. 121 injuries happened at public displays and the remaining 475 of injuries occurred at private parties.  (*Bonfire-night-safety.co.uk)

Burns and scalds are the most common type of firework injury and they are an extremely common types of fire work injury and they are extremely painful and can cause the following:-

• Nerve Damage
• Tendon ligament or Muscle damage
• Permanent scarring
• In some worse cases fatalities

We all know the sad fact that burn injuries cause physical damage, but victims can also suffer from psychological and emotional problems too.

We at Aequitas Legal have seen many cases where some of our clients have been injured through defective fireworks and problems at firework displays. We know all too well the kind of damage it can have and the effects it can have on both victims and their family.

If you have unfortunately ben burnt by a firework or in the presence of someone who has remember too cool burns immediately with cold water for at least 10 minutes. Do not under any circumstances touch the burn or put any sort of clothing to it as it can stick to the burn itself. Cover the burn in cling film to protect it from any infection. If someone’s clothes set on fire. Remember to STOP, DROP and ROLL. If you are using sparklers, be sure to have a cold bucket of water ready to place used sparklers to avoid unwanted accidents.

There are many pets that dislike fireworks as quite simply a bang or bright flashes of lights can frighten most pets. So keep pets indoors and preferable in a room where they will not be able to see outside and hear very little. It’s not your own fireworks that can cause distress, so you may need to keep your pet in on a number of nights whilst other displays are on within the proximity of your area.

Fun Facts:-

• Fireworks can travel up to speeds of 150mph
• If three sparklers are burnt together at the same time they will burn at the same heat as a blow torch used for joining metal.
• It is illegal to sell fireworks to anyone under the age of 18
• Throwing fireworks is a criminal offence and you can be fined up to £5000 for doing so
• £40 million was spent on fireworks in the UK during 2013
• It is estimated that 20 million people attend a firework displays
• Finally it is an offence to let fireworks of during the night between 11pm – 7am with the exception of Bonfire Night (Midnight) Diwali, New Year and Chinese New Year where you can set fireworks of up until 1AM.
• Bonfire Night can be a great time for all the family, but it’s important that everyone celebrates safely.