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Oh no! If this is your first display
I bet you hadn't thought about this bit! The scourge
of fireworks... the worst job in the universe... yes,
it's the clearing up! Did you know that "90 shot cake"
stands for "90 bits of card strewn over the firing
area that YOU have to clear up"? No matter how tired
you feel after running around setting up for hours,
it isn't over yet....
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We're going to try our hardest to cheer you up in
this section because you'll need it! Clearing up is
bad enough when it's your back garden and you know
your missus will kill you in the morning, but when
it's a public playing field and it's your reputation
at stake, you really DO need to pick up every last
piece of paper. And with each shell launch distributing
a bit of packing, a card disk, AND the shell itself,
that's a lot of bending over!
Oh dear.
What a mess. Allow a good few hours to clean up after
a fireworks display.
But before you start, please:
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Check no fireworks are still smouldering. That
can mean a malfunction and a possible shell
or two waiting to go off. Give these a wide
berth and time to settle down.
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Get your bin bags ready. You'll need plenty.
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Get some light on the matter. Tidying up by
torchlight is difficult and a waste of batteries.
Get your car or van near and switch on the main
beam. Let there be light...
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Get your whole team on the case. Find any skulkers
and make sure they help with the joys of clearing
up... teamwork makes light work of these menial
tasks. A crate of beer can often make a good
incentive, as you'll have kept sober up until
the end. Organise yourselves in lines and go
across the display area.
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Never ever, ever, dispose of spent fireworks
on a fire even if you THINK every shell has
gone off.
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When the adrenaline has worn off, the crowd has gone,
and you feel like you've been dragged through a hedge
backwards it's tempting to take shortcuts with the
clearing up. DON'T! Here are some reasons why:
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Some debris still contains chemicals. Not the
sort of thing you want children to pick up and
play with the next day.
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Some debris, for example from downed rockets,
is sharp. Not the sort of thing you want children
to pick up and play with the next day.
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Some of your fireworks, or shells, may contain
unexploded munitions. Definitely not the sort
of thing you want children to pick up and play
with the next day.
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Some of your timber and stakes will leave holes
in the firing area. That can really annoy groundsmen
and local authorities.
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You're probably getting the message by now that firing
displays is not all fun and loud bangs... it's mundane
work like clearing up too. Just think yourself lucky
Chinese crackers were banned, you should have seen
your lawn after just 500 went off!
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In typical UKFR style, we'll help you as far as we
possibly can with free and pertinent advice, and that
includes clearing up (remember, we've been there too!):
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Allow longer than expected. If your display
ends at 10.30pm, don't expect to be off site
until after midnight.
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If possible come back the next morning too.
It's easier to clear up in daylight, but please
take the bulk of the debris off-site on the
night, for safety reasons.
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NEVER leave even spent fireworks on site unattended
- clear them all up!
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Try to recover stakes and use them again. That
means easing them out gently, not snapping them
off!
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Any "unexploded" or "dud" fireworks should
be removed and soaked in water for 24 hours
before disposal.
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Fill in any holes and carefully replace any
turf (which of course you saved before digging
the hole!).
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We have always tried to learn from both our fireworks
and from our displays, and improve on them. If you
plan on displaying again, there's plenty you can do
for yourself too:
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Try and get someone to video tape your display.
It's a great way of seeing what worked and what
didn't.
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Ask for second opinions. The truth can hurt
- but you learn from the truth, not from lies
or false compliments.
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Be self critical. What could YOU have done
to improve it? What could other firers have
done better?
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Did the crowd react strongly to any particular
items? If so what?
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ALWAYS learn from your mistakes. If you made
any, find out why, how you could have avoided
them and how you can prevent them occurring
again.
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Need help with firework storage? Our last
section takes a look at this subject. Otherwise,
thank you for taking the time to read our safety guide.
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