Safety Considerations you wish you knew when you started

[PG2159]

I have now found myself going down a rabbit hole in regards to the art of pyrotechnics. My bread winning profession is nursing, specifically ER. With that in mind I have a very clear mindset on safe practices related to use, storage and further with this hobby. What kind of safe practices have you learned over the years that you wish someone would have told you when you first started?

I think my main goal is scheduling a PGI safety course when one presents it self next year as a good starting point.

[Arles]

Assume any cake or rack could blow itself apart and send its effects is any direction. Always maintain adequate distance.

Cakes, especially 200 gram, can and do tip over. Secure narrow footprint cakes to something.

Mark off the area around your set up so that people clearly know not go near it.

Milkcrate canister racks (which I don't use) can create a trampoline effect and eject mortars out. If you're going to use milkcrate racks, make sure you put a solid wood base as the surface.

One of the big takeaways from the PGI course for me was that electronic firing doesn't eliminate risk, but rather transfers it from firing to set up. Treat every cake or effect with an ignitor as a loaded gun with the hammer cocked.

A few other PGI takeaways, allow for at least a 15 minute cool down period after a show before inspecting the shoot site. The following day, walk the area looking for unexploded shells. (Someone recently made a thread on a 3" NOAB shell that didn't go off and landed on the ground)

[Birdman]

The two big ones I learned only after spending more time here was:

Always brace smaller cakes
Use HDPE or fiberglass tubes (HDPE preferred)

The first rack I build I used PVC pipe initially after watching a YouTube video. Thankfully I only ever used it for small festival (fake) ball shells a couple of times before replacing the PVC with HDPE tubes.

[WithReport]

I think my main goal is scheduling a PGI safety course when one presents it self next year as a good starting point.



One of the big takeaways from the PGI course for me was that electronic firing doesn't eliminate risk, but rather transfers it from firing to set up. Treat every cake or effect with an ignitor as a loaded gun with the hammer cocked.


Yeah, people can get complacent with firing systems and PGI and the DOC are great resources, but....

To this day, the most dangerous situation I have been in was in the DOC at PGI - due to incompetency and/or carelessness of the instructor. The instructor was fumbling around with the firing system - he couldn't read what channel his remote was set to in the daylight. When trying to demo an e-match in a length of quick fuse, he had multiple modules ARMED ("cocked") and fired the wrong module - launching a 5" shell with half the class standing around the mortar and nearly took one guys head off. Lots of things wrong in that situation - he shouldn't' have had all the modules ARMED or used different approaches in his demo. He shouldn't have had the class standing around the mortar (he put them there). He should have been able to use the equipment in daylight, etc.

[Arles]

Yeah, people can get complacent with firing systems and PGI and the DOC are great resources, but....

To this day, the most dangerous situation I have been in was in the DOC at PGI - due to incompetency and/or carelessness of the instructor. The instructor was fumbling around with the firing system - he couldn't read what channel his remote was set to in the daylight. When trying to demo an e-match in a length of quick fuse, he had multiple modules ARMED ("cocked") and fired the wrong module - launching a 5" shell with half the class standing around the mortar and nearly took one guys head off. Lots of things wrong in that situation - he shouldn't' have had all the modules ARMED or used different approaches in his demo. He shouldn't have had the class standing around the mortar (he put them there). He should have been able to use the equipment in daylight, etc.

Yikes! That's shocking

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Having just returned Saturday from this years PGI convention... And after a weeks worth of dealing with people totally confused by the designations on the packaging.... I would recommend you read my post under the "PGI 2022 Recap" thread I just started.

The short version is, you can't rely on the 1.3G or 1.4G designation written on the effect. Look for the UN number. If the UN number is UN0336, the effect is a legit 1.4G effect. If it is UN0431 or UN0432 then it is an AOP effect, should be classified as "Professional use only" and unavailable for purchase by the general public.

As for safe practices...

I almost got into a physical altercation in the very first hour on the first day over trying to keep this one gal safe. She was dropping little spinner effects onto the asphalt, and they wouldn't spin, then they'd blow up sending sparks and other stuff shooting in her direction. We have 4'x8' sheets of plywood to shoot those on. They work great on a smooth surface.

Another gal sat a cake in the middle of the shoot site and lit it. After it was done I told her she can't do that. She needed to put them in a bin we had set out for cakes. She said "okay" and then tried to light another one! I said What the hell are you doing?! I just said put it in the bin!" her response was, "Well I have to light it so I can move it!" I almost slapped her right then and there.

So my advice is to find a basic fireworks safety class and take it. Common sense isn't as common as I would like to think it should be. So ask lots of questions, and question the people you're asking.

[WithReport]

I would recommend you read my post under the "PGI 2022 Recap" thread I just started.

Read it. Thanks for the summary. Sounds a bit sucky. I 100% agree that PGI members should have the best seats in the house - period!!!! They should not be shoving them off to the side. No members, no show, now public.



Look for the UN number. If the UN number is UN0336, the effect is a legit 1.4G effect. If it is UN0431 or UN0432 then it is an AOP effect, should be classified as "Professional use only" and unavailable for purchase by the general public.

This is curious and it may take some time to shake out - sounds like too much confusion. The first paragraph of 87-1C mentions both UN0431 and UN0336 "for professional use only"

[Rick_In_Tampa]

This is curious and it may take some time to shake out - sounds like too much confusion. The first paragraph of 87-1C mentions both UN0431 and UN0336 "for professional use only"

Exactly!! I noticed that too. As someone that spent 22 years reading military regulations, in my opinion this APA reg is very poorly written and just adds to the confusion.

[Engineer Cat]

I almost got into a physical altercation in the very first hour on the first day over trying to keep this one gal safe. She was dropping little spinner effects onto the asphalt, and they wouldn't spin, then they'd blow up sending sparks and other stuff shooting in her direction. We have 4'x8' sheets of plywood to shoot those on. They work great on a smooth surface.

Another gal sat a cake in the middle of the shoot site and lit it. After it was done I told her she can't do that. She needed to put them in a bin we had set out for cakes. She said "okay" and then tried to light another one! I said What the hell are you doing?! I just said put it in the bin!" her response was, "Well I have to light it so I can move it!" I almost slapped her right then and there.

Are these family members of PGI members? I mean if so you would think a little common sense would rub off on the spouse and family. My wife knows a lot more about firework safety then the average person from listening to me when I'm talking pyro, or showing her a video of some clowns lighting fireworks improperly. (No one here :D)

[Arclight]

Are these family members of PGI members? I mean if so you would think a little common sense would rub off on the spouse and family. My wife knows a lot more about firework safety then the average person from listening to me when I'm talking pyro, or showing her a video of some clowns lighting fireworks improperly. (No one here :D)

Do they have a kid's program? I went to WPA Winter Blast this year, and the "Pyro in Training (PIT Crew) was a great way to keep everyone busy and making safety a primary part of what they're doing. They also 100% enforced the PPE requirements at the Class C and other areas. I think people who show up at the line with all of the correct gear on themself and their kids are already 99% less likely to do something really dumb or not listen to the safety minders.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Are these family members of PGI members? I mean if so you would think a little common sense would rub off on the spouse and family. My wife knows a lot more about firework safety then the average person from listening to me when I'm talking pyro, or showing her a video of some clowns lighting fireworks improperly. (No one here :D)

These are all PGI members. You have to be one to shoot on the C Line. My thought is, these people are not your typical once a year shooter that buys a few goodies at a tent for July 4th. So they should be smarter about how to use fireworks than your average user. Clearly I'm wrong on that count.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Do they have a kid's program? I went to WPA Winter Blast this year, and the "Pyro in Training (PIT Crew) was a great way to keep everyone busy and making safety a primary part of what they're doing. They also 100% enforced the PPE requirements at the Class C and other areas. I think people who show up at the line with all of the correct gear on themself and their kids are already 99% less likely to do something really dumb or not listen to the safety minders.

PGI has a program for kids called the Junior Pyro's of America or JPA. You have to be (I believe) at least 7 and up to 17 to join. They put on a major show every year at the convention. We also run a first time user safety course 4 of the 5 days we're there to teach and reinforce basic safety rules for kids and adults. Yet every year we have fools show up on the C Line with juiced cakes, beer, no eye protection, etc. and so on. Just boggles the mind.

[Arclight]

PGI has a program for kids called the Junior Pyro's of America or JPA. You have to be (I believe) at least 7 and up to 17 to join. They put on a major show every year at the convention. We also run a first time user safety course 4 of the 5 days we're there to teach and reinforce basic safety rules for kids and adults. Yet every year we have fools show up on the C Line with juiced cakes, beer, no eye protection, etc. and so on. Just boggles the mind.

I noticed you could also kind of tell who cares about safety by the gear they bring. I saw a lot of people rocking the FR clothing and eye pro they use at work - Wildland fire jackets, lab coats, mining gear, etc. I think it's just not a big deal to meet or exceed safety expectation for the majority of people and a huge pride issue for like 1-2%.