Lecture Notes for
Fireworks Display Practices – Outline
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Section 1: Elements of Hazard Management for Firework Displays:
- Accidents, law suits and regulation
- Definitions:
- Hazard
- Risk
- Safe
- Hazard management:
- Recognition of hazards
- Evaluation of risks
- Control of risks
- Display operator defined and their responsibilities
Section 2: Basic Aerial Shell Components and Their Manner of Functioning:
- Firework aerial shell shapes and sizes:
- Spherical
- Cylindrical
- Basic aerial shell components
- Manner of aerial shell functioning (manual firing)
- Shell leader (fuse):
- Black match
- Quick match
- Lift charge (propelling charge)
- Fireworks time fuse (delay fuse) and priming
- Stars (pellets of pyrotechnic composition)
- Shell inserts (small pyrotechnic components)
- Shell burst charge (break charge)
- Shell labels
Section 3: Aerial Shell Malfunctions, Their Causes and Safety Considerations:
- Aerial shell ignition problems:
- “Premature ignition”
- Delayed ignition – “Hangfire”
- Ignition failure – “Misfire”
- Aerial shell functioning problems:
- Explosion within the mortar
- Mild explosion – “Flowerpot”
- Powerful explosion – “Shell Detonation”
- Explosion just above the mortar – “Muzzle Break”
- Delayed explosion – “Low or Ground Break”
- Failure to explode – “Dud Shell”
- Burning debris reaches ground
- Shell components fall to ground unignited
- Explosion within the mortar
- Measures to protect the public and the crew from malfunctions
- Aerial shell inspection items
Section 4: Alternate Fireworks Aerial Shell Components and Construction:
- Aerial shell fusing:
- Top vs. bottom fusing
- Redundant fuses
- Spolette fuses
- Aerial shell types:
- Multi-break shells
- Component shells
- Salutes / Reports / Maroons
- Spherical aerial shell star and burst charge configurations
- Cylindrical aerial shell burst configurations
- Star types:
- Color change stars
- Comet and strobe stars
- Electric matches and connectors
- Other ignition systems
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- “No-Match” shock tube
- “Lightning Thermo Tube”
Section 5: Typical Spherical Aerial Shell Performance:
- Typical aerial shell and mortar parameters
- Aerial shell firing time sequence
- Internal mortar pressures
- Mortar recoil forces
- Aerial shell muzzle velocity
- Aerial shell burst height
- Effect of mortar length
- Aerial shell burst delay times
- Aerial shell burst spread (effect diameter)
- Explosive and thermal output
- Effect of mortar tilt angle (trajectory)
- Aerial shell drift distance
- Aerial shell float time in water
Section 6: Other Fireworks Types:
- Low-level aerial fireworks:
- Mines
- Comets
- Roman candles
- Cakes and multi-shots
- Firework rockets
- Helicopters
- Wheels
- Fountains, gerbs, and waterfalls
- Lancework
- Quick match fusing
- Sticky Match fusing
- Fire rope
Section 7: General Display Site Requirements:
- Display site size
- Site security
- Other site requirements
- Site plan
- Fireworks display permitting
- Floating vessels and platforms requirements
- Rooftops and other limited egress locations requirements
Section 8: Fireworks Display Equipment:
- Firework mortar types
- FRE
- HDPE
- Paper
- Thick Steel
- ABS
- Sheet steel
- Aluminum
- PVC
- Firework mortar requirements:
- Diameter
- Strength (wall thickness)
- Length
- Mortar plugs
- Mortar inspections
- Mortar racks, boxes (troughs) and barrels
- Ready box
- Other display equipment
- Personal safety equipment
- Emergency equipment
Section 9: Mortar Placement Issues:
- Mortar placement within the secured area:
- Recommended for manual firing with reloading
- Optional for manual firing without reloading
- Optional for electrically fired displays
- Separation distance requirements
- Organization of mortars
- Burial of mortars
- Mortar angling
- Down-range aerial shell trajectory displacement
- Angling for wind drift
- Placement of mortar racks and troughs
-
- Rack bracing
- Rack barricading
- Rack orientation
- Trough orientation
- Placement of ready boxes
Section 10: Chain Fusing Techniques:
- Chain fusing method 1
- Chain fusing method 2
- Preparation of finale chain fusing
- Methods for slowing quick match burning
- Comparison of slowing methods
- Delay elements for quick match
- Self made
- “Pyroclock” units
- Making slow-burning fuse chains
- Short fusing
- Re-ignition points
Section 11: Making Repairs to Fireworks:
- Most often needed repair supplies
- Making slow-burning fuse chains
- Specific repairs to aerial shells:
- Missing shell leader safety cap
- Short black match delay element
- Damaged delay element
- Short shell leader
- Tear in shell leader
- Seriously damaged shell leader
- Fuse loop / suspender torn or missing
- Leaking lift powder
- Damaged casing or water-damaged shell
- Repairs to other fireworks
- Loose components
- Damaged nosing
Section 12: Setup of Ground and Low-Level Aerial Fireworks:
- Separation distances for ground and proximate audience displays
- Setup of fireworks on poles
- Guy wire safety tips
- Separation distances for comets and mines
- Setup of low-level aerial fireworks
- Accidental ignition considerations
- Moisture protection
- Iron wire tie example
Section 13: Manual Display Firing Procedures:
- Display operator responsibilities
- Firing crew personnel assignments
- Aerial shell loading
- Aerial shell firing
- Separation distances for comets and mines
- Ready box tending
- Aerial shell spotting during display
- Crowd control monitors
- Show interruptions
- After the show
- Requirements for barge and roof-top displays
- Requirements for firing salutes
- Preloaded manually fired displays
Section 14: Basic Electricity:
- Ohm’s law
- Wire resistance
- Electric circuit symbols
- Series circuits
- Parallel circuits
- Internal battery resistance
Section 15: Set-up and Safety of Electrically Fired Displays:
- Basic set-up for electrically fired display
- Public and crew safety
- Requirements for electrically fired displays
- Earth as a source of firing current
- Electric match sensitivity
- Precautions because of electric match sensitivity
- Mortar inspection after malfunctions
- Short wiring
- Exceptions to inspection after malfunctions
Section 16: Techniques for Electric Firing:
- Basic electric firing circuit
- Electric matches
- Characteristics of electric matches
- Electric match attachment methods
- Attachment points
- “Quick Fire” clips
- “Magic Fire” igniters
- Series firing circuits
- Parallel firing circuits
- Comparison of series and parallel firing circuits
- Testing firing circuits
- Types of electric firing units
- Wire and splicing wire
- Covering electrically fired mortars