Merseyside Fire and Rescue will set a terraced house alight at its Aintree academy on 4 November to show what one stray firework can do. What to do at home.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service will set fire to a terraced house on Wednesday morning, simulating a house fire started by a rogue firework. The service covers Southport and Formby, and the demonstration comes the day before Bonfire Night on Thursday.
The fire will be started in the terraced houses at the service’s Training and Development Academy on Long Lane, Aintree, at 11am on Wednesday 4 November. A crew of firefighters will then be sent in to put it out, the service said in a notice to the media on Monday.
The academy is a training site, not a public venue, and the demonstration is being staged for the cameras rather than for spectators. Craig Whitfield, the service’s Group Manager for Community Safety, will be interviewed afterwards about its work over the bonfire period.
Why a house, and why now
Last week the service asked parents to know where their children are, after firefighters were targeted with fireworks last year (our report, 29 October).
Wednesday’s demonstration is about a different risk: a house fire started by a rogue firework.
If you are letting fireworks off at home
The service’s first advice is to think twice about having fireworks at home at all. Fireworks are explosives, it says, and misusing them can cause serious and permanent injury, including lost fingers, serious burns and sight loss (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, firework and sparkler safety).
If you do go ahead, its advice is to:
- buy only from retailers registered with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service;
- keep fireworks in a closed box, and follow the instructions on each one;
- light them at arm’s length with a taper, then stand well back;
- never go back to a firework that has been lit, even if it has not gone off;
- never put fireworks in a pocket or throw them;
- not drink alcohol if you are setting them off, and not let them off after 11pm;
- keep pets indoors and supervise children at all times.
On sparklers, the service says they burn at 2,000 degrees, 20 times hotter than boiling water. They should never be given to a child under five; anyone holding one should wear gloves, and finished sparklers go straight into a bucket of water because they stay hot for a long time.
For a bonfire in a garden, the service says it must be on private land with the owner’s permission, well away from buildings, sheds, fences and trees, with no cables overhead. Do not start it with petrol or paraffin, keep a bucket of water or a hose nearby, never leave it unattended, and never throw fireworks into it (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, bonfire safety).
What it means for you
The simplest way to avoid a firework getting near your house is to go to an organised display, which is what the service recommends. Southport RFC on Waterloo Road holds its fireworks on Friday 6 November, and Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club in Blundellsands has one the same night: times and prices are in our Southport Bonfire Night guide.
To report an unlit bonfire or a pile of rubbish that could be set alight, use the fire service’s online form. For free fire safety advice, or if you do not have working smoke alarms, call Fire Service Direct on 0800 731 5958. If you see fire or smoke, call 999.
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