National Campaign for Firework Safety
Annual Report 1989


Last year three children died, and 877, mostly children and teenagers were hospitalised with fireworks injuries. 236 were seriously injured, and 269 were Eye injuries. Parents, GP's, Chemist, and First Aiders treated hundreds more for minor injuries locally which are not counted in official statistics. The fatalities widely reported by the media were the first for 16 years were not counted into official figures by the DTI. The first child died when a firework he was playing with caught light to his clothes and furniture at his home.  The  second fatality was of a child making a bigger and better fireworks from the contents of a shop firework, and the third fatality was at an outdoor event, when a oil drum was thrown on to a bonfire exploding.
Two other children at the party were seriously injured. Although this last item was not directly caused by fireworks, it nonetheless was at a firework event on November 5.  Government excuses were as follows. One fatality was not caused by fireworks. The home made firework which has a category of its own in the official statistics, was "outside the period", October 5. Fireworks are on sale from late September.  The firework incident in the house: they had no explanation for this exclusion.

Since the beginning of the 1980's there has been in firework injury trend rooted firmly upwards. Whilst Britain still lingers with a piece of Victorian outdated legislation, (1875 Explosives Act) the rest of the world has moved on. Some countries have legislated not once but twice on fireworks in the past 20 years. In the United States they go much further than we would ever want with guarantees and warrantees, and permissions required from a host of City people not to mention State laws.  People have to be trained, which is something we do want. However, Canada in 1972 adopted our 1969 proposals which include a ban on shop sales of fireworks. Properly organised firework displays put on by trained people over 18. That first year over 5,000 people were trained, and thousands have been trained every year since, in schemes organised jointly by the Chief Inspectorate of Explosives, with fireworks manufacturers.  As a result of strong controlling legislation they have wiped out their injury toll. The only measure the British Government as take in 10 years of office was through an Order in Parliament that did not require legislation. It raised the fine for shopkeepers who break the law by selling firework to children under age. It also includes louts who throw fireworks around the streets. Sadly the law has always been one unenforceable. In 1986 the Liverpool Trading Standards Officers decided they had enough. Some sent their own children into shops where blatant abuses of the age restriction were going on. The prosecution's they netted were the first on record for shops breaking the law. The following year a cynical Consumer Minister decided that as his government had no intention of introducing proper legislation he would encourage other Trading Standards Officers of Councils around the country to copy the Liverpool example. This had some effect but many councils wisely decided that this was no way for an elected government to behave, and told ministers to get on with the job of legislation. 

In 1973, the campaign produced the first code of conduct for organised firework displays, at the request of a local authority for the opening of their leisure centre. The success of that display meant that we were invited to the Home Office where the following year we wrote the National Document with the firework manufacturers. That document is produced yearly by the DTI. In 1973, we also asked Standard Fireworks managing director, to set up training facilities for the general public for organised firework displays. He refused. Sixteen years later under another management Standard Fireworks opened the first training centre in July at Huddersfield. This followed two years of talks with the new management, and a visit by NCFR to the factory last year. At the opening of the training centre, we gave this message. "Congratulations and best wishes to Standard Fireworks on the opening of the first training centre in Britain". To the Minister, Eric Forth opening it, "We want the government to put up some money to help pay for similar training facilities for the general public, in centres all over Britain". We repeated this call when we met consumer Mr Eric Forth MP, for an eyeball to eyeball 45 minute session in late July this year. As well as calling for stronger controlling legislation and training facilities, we have asked for new and better information on the fireworks injury statistics, which have been the same now for 28 years. We asked for the injuries to be announced on the floor of the House of Commons, (as they always had up to 10 years ago) and not tucked away in the back of Hansard in Written Answers. We asked for the figures which are in from the hospitals by early December, to be published then, not in late April as they were this year. The official excuse is, "pressure on the government computer". 

Last year in response to letters from NCFR, describing the fatalities of children in few days earlier, Mrs Thatcher said that the law must be vigorously enforced. In 1971, a minister in a previous Conservative Government, referring to the 1875 Explosives Act, said that the law is unenforceable. With Government rethinking their policies on safety issues, following many disasters, and new thinking on "green issues", there is still hope that firework reform may yet get priority as part of this revised strategy.

NOEL TOBIN - DIRECTOR

The hidden cost of November 5. The information the Government figures don't show.

Fatalities 3
Last year three children died, the first for 16 years. The first child died at a bonfire on November 5. The second child died whilst mixing together the powders of shop fireworks to make a huge Rocket. The third child died after a firework he was playing with, whilst on his own, set fire to his clothes and furniture.

Pets
Hundreds of peoples pets suffer torture and death each year because of savagery with fireworks.  The real figures are difficult to calculate because so many cases are not reported officially to the RSPCA.

National Health Service
The National Health Service spends between £10 & £20 million each year treating the victims of November 5.  The actual figure depends on the serious injuries which require months of expensive treatment and care.

Fire Damage
From houses burnt down to badly damaged factories and other premises.  Estimated damage £20-£30 million.