National Campaign for Firework Safety
Noel's Page                                        September 2001

 
   
     
 
     
 

"There is a world emergency at the moment after the horrific events in New York and Washington.  Our hearts go out to our comrades in the Fire Service, the Police, the Ambulance Service, Doctors, Nurses and the Paramedics and all the relatives and friends of the people who were killed or seriously injured because of terrorism."

As the long hot summer draws to an end with autumnal weather conditions, the start of the firework season is but a hair's breadth away.

I have already discussed the firework injury statistics in previous months.  What we should take away from 2000's Firework Statistics is that 2 people have died, because legislation was not in place to stop untrained people getting hold of the most dangerous display fireworks in category 4.  The official figures may have been under 1,000 but as it did not count the injury figures for the second sales period of 3.5 weeks in December they would have been well over 1,000.

This year was the year when the protests of people about fireworks and the 'need to do something' continued from September to September.  In July thugs were still getting hold of fireworks and setting them off.  These were no ordinary Category 2 fireworks, these were fireworks for displays in categories 3 & 4.  In common with the new practise of selfish people who annoy their neighbours, the Local Authorities should do with fireworks as they do with stereo equipment at nights.  These selfish people like to cause the maximum disruption by setting fireworks off through the evening and into the night.

This has led to the new phenomena of a sort of 'Neighbourhood Rage'.  We will no doubt see some court cases coming up about this.  The advice of the Campaign is to prosecute these uncaring stupid people, either through the Local Authorities who are at last starting to take notice of fireworks or privately if necessary.

There is a world emergency at the moment after the horrific events in New York and Washington.  Our hearts go out to our comrades in the Fire Service, the Police, the Ambulance Service, Doctors, Nurses and the Paramedics and all the relatives and friends of the people who were killed or seriously injured because of terrorism.

This is a seminal moment for us all, but at the end of the retribution which world leaders have agreed will be meted out to terrorists everywhere,  An international justice must come from this, so that in the future nobody feels the need to set up terrorists groups because of the world order and/or the power structure of various nations.  That may sound a bit of a tall order but it is worth fighting for and its worth trying for.

Keep fingers well crossed that another generation of people from whatever country are not wiped off the face of the planet.

Because of the emergency the Government and the firework industry must look again at whether there is a need to have a firework season this year.  Our recommendation is to stand it down as a mark of respect to those people killed in the US.

With best wishes as usual,
Noel
28 September 2001

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