Bonfire Night 2022 – How to keep you and your family safe

The crackle of the fire, the crunch of a toffee apple, the whizz, pop, bang of the fireworks, Bonfire Night 2022 is set to be full of family fun, with young eyes filled with awe as the sky lights up with a hundred colours. 

But all too often Bonfire Night is filled with other sounds, the call of an ambulance to take a child who’s burnt their hand on a sparkler to hospital, the fire engine sirens racing to put out a fire that’s got out of control, a trip to the burns unit because someone held onto a firework that was lit.

Bonfire Night 2022 can be great fun as long as we all take the time to think about our actions, plan our gatherings safely and follow some simple guidelines that have been developed to keep you and your family safe.

It can be safest to attend public displays of fireworks, as these are organised and regulated by professionals who have consulted and have the fire service on site. Most accidents on Bonfire Night are due to carelessness and unfortunately it is a greater number of children involved in firework accidents than adults.

Simple firework and sparklers rules to follow:

• Only buy fireworks from reputable sellers, keep them in the box and out of reach of children.
• Follow the instructions on each firework, light them at arms length and as soon as lit, stand well back.
• Never go near a firework that has been lit. Even if it hasn’t gone off it could still explode.
• Don’t throw fireworks and hold them carefully when transporting to the area you are setting them off.
• Always supervise children around fireworks and sparklers.
• Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves.
• When the sparkler has gone out, put it in a bucket of cold water – it is still very hot and can burn.
• Keep pets indoors – if they’re frightened by the noises, they may run away and get hurt.

Bonfire Safety

It’s not recommended to have a bonfire in your garden. Fire is an incredibly dangerous element and it’s incredibly easy to spread to nearby hedges, fences, garages and even your home. 

If however you do decide to have your own bonfire, here are our safety tips:

• Build your bonfire as far away from your home, buildings, fences etc as possible and ensure there are no cables overhead to reduce the risk of them catching fire.
• Before lighting a bonfire, ensure there are no animals or children hiding in there, and maintain a barrier to ensure those watching are safely away from any danger.
• Be mindful of what you put on the bonfire – aerosols, tyres, batteries etc, can release toxic fumes or cause explosions.
• Don’t use petrol, paraffin, diesel, white spirit or methylated spirit to light the bonfire – these can quickly light and cause a bigger fire than intended.
• Always be safety conscious – keep tools to put out your bonfire close by in case you do have an emergency, including buckets of water and sand.

By following these guidelines and keeping the safety of yourself and others at the forefront of your mind for Bonfire Night 2022, you are set to have a fantastic time full of fun. Just remember, plan your bonfire night safely, keep children and pets away from bonfires and fireworks, and always have the tools to put out fires and sparklers close by.

For more information on Health and Safety, visit our Ardent Safety website, blog and Facebook.