West Yorkshire Bonfire and Firework Safety

National World - LocalTV

After responding to 427 bonfire-related incidents last year, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are urging us to stay safe this bonfire season.

Transcript

00:00 When the large annual council-run bonfire events were cancelled again this year, with

00:06 no sign that they will ever return, there was a heated debate.

00:10 One councillor said the move risked sucking the life and joy out of Leeds, but the council

00:14 reiterated their current budget pressures.

00:17 A public consultation saw some raise concerns about the impact such events have on local

00:22 wildlife habitats, air quality and pets, while others said having multiple unregulated home

00:28 displays would be more detrimental to the environment.

00:31 Whether you're organising your own bonfire gathering or attending one of the smaller

00:35 local displays still taking place across the region, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue are

00:39 urging us to keep safety in mind at all times.

00:43 Bonfire is always a busy period for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

00:47 What we always try to do is make sure that people understand the do's and don'ts around

00:50 bonfires.

00:51 So, first and foremost, if you are going to go out on bonfire night, we'd like you to

00:55 go to an organised event.

00:57 It's always better to go to an organised big event.

00:59 If you decide you want a small bonfire at home, always keep it small, make sure there's

01:04 plenty of water, buckets, a hosepipe just in case.

01:07 Last year we attended 427 incidents.

01:10 Over the last five years, we've attended incidents where we've been attacked 72 times.

01:16 So it's about reducing that ASB behaviour, the anti-social behaviour that goes with bonfire

01:21 period which seems to accelerate at that time of year.

01:25 Anti-social behaviour was one of the factors for the cancellation of this year's Garthorth

01:29 and District lines display, which had been going for 40 years.

01:34 When we talk about firefighter attacks, there's a multitude of different things.

01:39 Obviously verbal abuse is not acceptable.

01:42 Physical abuse is never acceptable.

01:44 But it's not just fireworks that they're attacking us with.

01:48 It could be stones, bricks, lighters, vapes, whatever they can have in their hand at that

01:53 time.

01:54 So those are the types of attacks we're getting under.

01:56 In 2022, 37% of the incidents the fire service responded to involved an injury, and they're

02:02 hoping to make this season injury free.

02:06 If a firework does, you do try to light it and it doesn't light, don't go near it, stay

02:09 away from it for a period of time and then eventually pop it in a bucket of water or

02:13 a bucket of sand just so it doesn't go off later on at a time.

02:17 And obviously we just want to make sure that people don't use naked flames.

02:19 If you are going to have fireworks about, make sure they're in some sort of steel container

02:23 to keep them protected at all times.

02:26 And we just don't want people to get burnt.

02:28 I've been to loads where people have allowed the bonfire to grow that big that they've

02:33 destroyed or damaged their own property.

02:35 So it's just about making sure that they understand that big isn't necessarily better.

02:40 We've been working with our partners such as the police, local authority, just to help

02:46 educate key audiences, especially 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16 year olds about the dangers.

02:55 We encourage everybody to have a fantastic bonfire period, but please, please, please

03:01 be safe.

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