|
|
Post by bigtop on Sept 4, 2019 11:30:41 GMT -5
www.rdrnews.com/2019/08/28/state-report-fireworks-explosion-ruled-accidental/1 Dead, 1 with severe burns, 10 with more minor injuries. Sad that this keeps happening. Please spread the word that Ematches should only be installed in fireworks when they are loaded in the mortar. For cakes install the Ematch only when the cake is placed in position where it will be fired from. Remember to keep all body parts away from the direction of fire (this point is pounded into the heads of people taking firearms training and it applies equally to display fireworks safety). Expect when you are installing an Ematch it will ignite and fire the firework it is being installed in. The senario that caused this accident was a bunch of guys in a room with lots of shells that were not loaded in mortars installing Ematches. This is far more common in the USA but I am sure it still goes on in Canada. A number of years ago I became aware of a fire department that was doing this and told them of the danger. They thanked me for the info and stopped this dangerous practice. For those not familiar with the accidents caused by installing Ematches in shells not in mortars here are a couple incidents of people dying from doing this. Ocracoke North Carolina 3 dead 1 injured Tenino Washington 2009 1 dead 1 injured These are 2 that come to mind right away. There are many more incidents of fireworks that fired when an Ematch was installed and when fireworks were being handled with Ematches installed that exploded. Don't listen to the guy that tells you "I have been doing this for many years with no problem" Yes the chances of this happening are low and it is possible that a guy does this for a long time without an ignition. The problem is the consequences when it does happen are terrible. The #1 cause of accidental ignition of display fireworks is Ematches.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aussie on Sept 5, 2019 8:18:19 GMT -5
Happened in Bracebridge a couple of years ago as well
|
|
|
|
Post by felix on Sept 5, 2019 8:19:19 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing this. I completely agree with only installing ematches into shells when they are in the mortars. As for cakes, I don't necessarily agree. Being on site, setting up a table, ematching in a safe place and carrying the cakes to site is just as effective. Every single competition in the world does it this way.
|
|
|
|
Post by bigtop on Sept 5, 2019 11:14:51 GMT -5
What is the benefit of installing the Ematch in a cake on a table then carrying it to the firing position? Is it not having to bend down to install the Ematch? Seems like a small or no saving of effort that results in greater risk. What if someone tripped and dropped a cake or a static charge set off the Ematch while it was being carried. I would guess your face is over top of the cake when it is put down on the ground. The load from a cake can cause serious injury and if it struck someone in a more vulnerable spot on the body possibly death.
Can you tell me any way that it is safer to install the Ematch in the cake on a table and then carry it to the firing position?
Also the practice is contrary to the Display Fireworks Manual which says
"When electric matches are being used, all fireworks must be primed with the
electric matches at the display site. Shells must be in their respective mortars
and other set pieces at their intended firing position." (page 31)
So I think it is about time to stop installing Ematches and then moving cakes.
There have been several explosions causing injury and death while handling, loading and unloading fireworks that have Ematches installed. I knew 2 guys who died in the USA loading a truck with fireworks with the Ematches installed. The guy that survived who was outside the back of the truck said that a box was dropped causing the explosion. I have had my shells drop tested from 12 meters onto concrete with no explosion (not in a box). So it is obvious that the Ematch was the sensitive item that caused the explosion.
As for the reference to competitions it was at a competition at Niagara that the last serious injury in Canada resulting from an ignition by an Ematch happened. There were dangerous procedures shown in videos of that competition such as shrouds removed from Ematches and people working while the mortars were pointing at them.
Many of the supervisors who are involved in competitions have been in the fireworks business for a long time. With this comes work procedures that are not up to date with the most current knowledge of the causes of accidents.
People follow dangerous procedures because they don't know or don't believe that it is dangerous. In the don't believe category it is usually because of the reasoning I or people I know have done this for a long time and nothing has happened. This is not valid reasoning to prevent display fireworks accidents. The incidence of accidents is low but the result when it happens can be injury or death.
|
|
|
|
Post by felix on Sept 5, 2019 12:23:29 GMT -5
Having an ematch in an ematch holder in a cake and carrying it is not going to cause a premature ignition. Regardless if you trip and fall.
As for the accident in Niagara Falls, the result of the accident has not be released by the ERD. I contacted Rachael recently, and she still has not indicated the cause because she doesn't have all the information yet. This would make any information being shared, is just gossip or assumptions at this point. Plus lets not forget who was running the competition, it was an accident waiting to happen.
|
|
|
|
Post by bigtop on Sept 5, 2019 14:37:19 GMT -5
I have seen a finale with ematch installed in place with the wired firing unit disconnected go up before the show. No one was near the finale and no electricity source was connected.
I called a guy once who had his phone on him and when he answered an Ematched cake ignited. Yes he should not have had his phone on him but it is possible someone forgets to leave their phone outside the site. There was no physical contact between the phone and the Ematch or any part of the firing system. Fortunately no one was hurt.
I knew guys who died when a box of Ematched shells was dropped.
True an Ematch in an Ematch holder with the shroud on is fairly well insulated from shock and friction. But consider if the cake fell and the Ematch wires happened to be pulled hard, this could this cause the Ematch head to have force applied to it. An Ematch has metal inside the sensitive Ematch composition and the metal is connected to the wires. Or what if there was some other stimulus that was unexpected like airport or ship radar or someone comes by with a powerful radio transmitter like fire departments have.
During the installation of an Ematch to a firework and any time an Ematch is installed in a firework the chance of accidental ignition is much greater than when there is no Ematch. This is why the Display Fireworks Manual says
"When electric matches are being used, all fireworks must be primed with the
electric matches at the display site. Shells must be in their respective mortars
and other set pieces at their intended firing position." (page 31)
Also I ask again where is the benefit of installing the Ematch on a table and then carrying the cake to the firing position?
I disagree with your statement "Having an ematch in an ematch holder in a cake and carrying it is not going to cause a premature ignition."
I know that there were unshrouded Ematches and people working over the muzzles of the mortars at the Niagara competition. I have been tracking display fireworks accidents to learn their causes for over 20 years. It is pretty much always an Ematch that causes an accidental ignition of manufactured display fireworks. So yes I do not know the result of the ERD investigation. But without the details that I have heard from others in the fireworks industry I would still reach the conclusion that it was an Ematch that caused the accidental ignition of the shell. I would reach the same conclusion if I knew all the Ematches were shrouded but removing the shroud increases the chance of an accidental ignition.
My interest in fireworks accidents is because I want to learn why people get injured and killed by display fireworks so I know what not to do and I can tell others what not to do to keep themselves safe.
If everyone followed these 4 simple procedures display fireworks accidents would be almost completely eliminated.
- Install Ematches only when the firework is in the firing position and then remove Ematches from unfired fireworks before moving them.
- Keep all body parts away from the direction of fire of display fireworks, especially when ematching or fusing and of course when they are firing.
- Do not stay close to display fireworks when they are fired. By the way the directions on my fireworks and other manufactures tell you to get away from the firework when it fires IE "stay a safe distance away from this firework when it fires"
Use only racks that will not fall over or blow apart when there is an in mortar explosion.
|
|
