Fireworks start bushfire | Resources Safety & Health Queensland
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Explosives safety alert no. 64 | 24 January 2013 | Version 1

Fireworks start bushfire

What happened?

Bushland caught fire during a school fireworks lesson, burning out 5ha of reserve and destroying a caravan and shed. A licensed fireworks contractor and operator was teaching school students on a hot summer day. The fireworks were being fired individually on their school oval when the adjacent bushland caught fire and the property was destroyed. No-one was hurt.

Recommendations

  1. Consider local conditions, such as vegetation and its condition, wind speed and wind direction, when selecting the firing location and the fireworks to be used. The hazardous debris resulting from fireworks together with the summer weather, breezes, dry grass and foliage adjacent to firing points create a significant risk of fire.
  2. Calculate clearance distances and exclusion zones according to the conditions on display day so that hazardous debris can be contained. (Hazardous debris can include hot burning particles, burning fireworks effects, casing fragments, components of fireworks effects and unignited components.) Establish clearance distances relative to spectators and also to vegetation within the exclusion zone. (Additional distances above the minimum calculated clearance distance provide the additional margin of safety.)
  3. Conduct an on-site risk assessment immediately prior to firing the fireworks and reassess the set up.
  4. Specific recommendations for fireworks contractors include:
    • review your emergency response plan to ensure that all operators and assistants are fully trained and the plan can deal with an emergency
    • provide enough firefighting equipment and people to control any fire outbreak at the site, including using spotters to identify and put out fires
    • review risk control measures based on risk assessments of all activities including setting-up, managing the display and post-display activities
    • review safety management systems and ensure they are followed.

Investigations are ongoing and further information may be published as it becomes available. The information in this publication is what is known at the time of writing.

We issue Safety Notices to draw attention to the occurrence of a serious incident, raise awareness of risks, and prompt assessment of your existing controls.

Authorised by Geoff Downs - Chief Inspector of Explosives

Contact: Manager, Explosives Licensing , +61 7 3199 8057

Issued by Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines

Safety: This information is a guide only and is issued to promote safety through experience. It is not to be taken as a statement of law and must not be construed to waive or modify any legal obligation.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RSHQ respectfully acknowledges all Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the country on which we live and work. We acknowledge their continuing connection to land, waters and culture and commit to ongoing reconciliation. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present.