Fireworks from home: here's everything you need to know to stay safe

This year in Doncaster, it’s expected that many people will put on fireworks displays from their homes, rather than going out to an event to see them.

Due to several different reasons, concerns surrounding COVID-19 being a notable one, many fireworks shows across Yorkshire have been axed this for this year. Due to this, it’s likely that a lot of people will instead look to host their own fireworks bonanzas.

There’s nothing wrong with doing this – in fact, it can be a lot more fun than going out to see one. But, you need to make sure that you have everything in order first. Fireworks can be extremely dangerous if handled incorrectly and can potentially cause lifelong injuries, not to mention the harm they may cause to animals (including pets) or property.

If you don’t like the idea of putting on your own fireworks show, you’re not completely out of luck. There’s a few events taking place this year in Doncaster, including the Keepmoat Stadium’s famous Doncaster Big Bang firework display.

Last year saw a relatively low number of fireworks related injuries – 117, the lowest number since 2014. This is in spite of the fact that almost all fireworks show last year took place within the comfort of our homes – showing that it’s very possible to do them safely.

What can I do to make sure my homemade fireworks show is safe?

If you’d like to put on a fireworks show, but are concerned about what safety measure you should put in place, here’s a few tips.

Firstly, you should only purchase CE classification fireworks (ones that have 1.4 marked on them). This means that they have been developed with public use in mind.

When a firework is lit, make sure any spectators are at least 25 metres away from it before it goes off.

Make sure you’ve got a bucket of water on standby and don’t return to ignited fireworks for at least 15 minutes after lighting them (even if they didn’t go off).

Make sure children are always under supervision – and never give a sparkler to a child under five.