Firework Safety Code
When buying fireworks, make sure they comply with BS 7114 or its European equivalent and are clearly marked for their intended use “Indoor, Garden or Display”
• Keep fireworks in a sealed box or tin.
• Use them one at a time, replacing the lid immediately.
• NEVER put fireworks in your pocket.
• Read the instructions carefully, using a torch or hand lamp. NEVER use a naked flame.
• Light fireworks at arm’s length using a taper or a firework lighter.
• Stand well back and NEVER return to a firework after it has been lit as it could explode in your face.
• Always supervise children around fireworks.
• NEVER throw fireworks.
• Keep all pets and animals indoors.
• Take care of sparklers; wear gloves to hold them and dispose of sparklers in a bucket of water as soon as they are finished.
• Don’t set off noisy fireworks late at night and never after 11pm.
These are often viewed as being harmless but they do burn at fierce temperatures. To a young child, the heat from a sparkler is equivalent to the heat from a welding torch.
• Never give sparklers to young children under five.
• Always wear gloves with sparklers, preferably leather ones.
• Hold it at arm’s length while an adult lights it for you
• Never wave sparklers near someone else as you could burn them.
• Never hold a baby in your arms when you are holding a sparkler.
• When the sparkler has finished, put it into a bucket of cold water straight away and leave it there.
Animals do not like fireworks. The flames and noise upsets them. They should always be kept safely indoors around times of the year when fireworks are used. Make sure that they cannot get out through open windows and doors. It is best to keep the curtains closed.
What you should know when buying fireworks
Category 1 (indoor) fireworks must not be sold to children under 16 years of age;
Category 2 (garden) and Category 3 (display) fireworks must not be sold to persons under 18 years of age.
Fireworks cannot be bought in Northern Ireland without a licence. The only exceptions will be Category 1 i.e. sparklers and indoor fireworks.
• To fire any outdoor firework you must apply to the DOJ for a licence.
• Fireworks such as aerial wheels, bangers, double bangers, flash bangers, batteries and combinations containing banger, double banger or flash bangers, jumping crackers, jumping ground spinners, spinners, mini rockets and shot tubes whose principal effect is a report or whose internal diameter is greater than 30 mm are illegal.
• The cost of a fireworks licence is £30 where the attendance at the firework display will not exceed 100 people. When applying for one you must specify who is using the fireworks.
• Fireworks should not be fired between the hours of 11:00pm and 7:00am.
Further information on any of the above can be found at: