Bonfire night is a great night of the year to celebrate with Family and friends. The majority of injuries that happen as a result of November 5th celebrations occur at family or private parties, rather than at publicly organised displays. If you are holding a bonfire / fireworks party, having proper precautions in place can help to ensure the safety of your guests, and you. Here are a few tips to help you keep your garden safe on Bonfire Night.
Choose your bonfire materials carefully
If you are intending to build a bonfire, think carefully about the materials you put on to burn. Burning a bonfire can be an opportunity to get rid of old furniture, fencing and other rubbish. Just because something is made of wood, it doesn’t mean its safe for a bonfire. The best materials for a bonfire is dry wood that burns quickly, untreated wood, leaves and brambles.
Build your bonfire on the day
When building a bonfire its best to build it as close to the time you tend to light it. Small animals such as hedgehogs and other small wildlife animals may nest in your built up mound if they are given the opportunity. Therefore if you build just before lighting there is less chance of small wildlife homing in there.
Look around you
Make sure the surrounding areas of the bonfire are safe. Choose your spot carefully, make sure the area around is clear of any items that could catch fire, once a fire catches it spreads which can be extremely dangerous. This includes checking overhead. You should also make sure that there is at least 25 meters between your bonfire and your spectators.
Do not use petrol
Although petrol can help speed up the rate in which a fire ignites, when using petrol or paraffin, things can very quickly spiral out of control. A drop of petrol or paraffin on your grass and the fire could spread. Saving some time lighting your bonfire is not worth the catastrophic damage that it could cause to you and your home.
Have water on standby
Being vigilant when running a bonfire is essential. Even if only lighting a small uncontrolled bonfire or letting off a few fireworks is crucial to keep water on hand just in case something goes wrong. This is a simple as having a small bucket filled with water or a hosepipe close to you and making sure that anything it is never left unattended. Once the fire is out you should also make sure to dump it down completely and remove any flammable materials from the site.
Keep an eye on children
Always keep an eye on small children as the majority of injuries caused by bonfire night activities and that happening to younger people either because they are not being supervised or because the children do not take take you seriously.
The majority of injuries caused by Bonfire Night activities end up happening to young people, either because they are not being supervised or because their Parents are do you not take a fire safety seriously. Did you know that simple sparkler reaching temperatures of 2000°C?
Know the law
As you know there are various rules and regulations on how to stay safe on bonfire / firework night. It’s worth familiarising yourself with these regulations in advance no need to stay safe also to avoid fines and even imprisonment. On most nights it is illegal to set a firework off it’s between 11 PM and 7 AM when on bonfire night the cut-off point is midnight. When it comes to bonfires it is illegal to burn domestic waste that will give off harmful fumes. You can find out more about these regulations on your local authorities website.
If you require any assistance in preparing your garden with landscaping, tree trimming / cutting or garden waste removal please call us on 01905 620 291
or 07770 826 648.
We hope you have a safe and enjoyable bonfire night.