Fireworks/Pyrotechnics Blog

This is a question I am starting to receive quite frequently from the newer crew members;  I will answer it in two parts.  Keep in mind that the operator receives a certain percentage of the show, which goes towards not only the operator’s compensation, but also supplies he needs to purchase, food, snacks, and water for the crew, and then paying his/her crew if possible.  The operator will typically take a much larger portion than each of the crew receives.  Why?  Aside from his greater experience, there are a lot of things that the operator does that are transparent to the crew, such as dealing with the customer, fire inspector, audio technicians, and show producer on multiple occasions days and weeks before the show, having meetings at the show site prior to the show date, drawing up layouts and/or scripts(if not provided), putting together a crew, among many other time consuming logistics.  This is all in addition to driving to the plant to pick up the show, filling out tons and tons of paperwork before and after each show, knowing the laws to the point of complete memorization, and having a lot of legal liability on his/her shoulders. 

As a crew member, will I get Paid?  This depends on two things.  How big the show is (which in turn determines the operators compensation), and the number of crew.  If the show is not that big and there is a large crew, then it’s not very practical to pay everyone since they would all get about $15 bucks.  Those shows are just volunteer with a free lunch.  Most crew come out since they get to shoot fireworks, and/or they need a recommendation letter for their pyrotechnics license anyways. 

Once it’s determined we will get paid, How much will I get?  This is determined by a number of things.  First off, as operator, I take a percentage (of the percentage given to me for the show) to compensate myself.  I pay the crew on an individual basis based on your experience, how hard you work, and of course within the limits of the budget.  I consider an experienced crew member to be able to do any task given to him/her, and be able to run the entire setup/show on their own if needed.  In other words, they would be able to handle a variety of tasks such as rack placement, shell addressing, running continuity checks with any type of firing system, or anything else that may come up during a show.  A new person (a “noob”) would not know what to do next, and would find themselves standing around waiting for instructions, and would have to be shown each step.  In addition to your experience, your hard work counts for a lot.  I have often paid new people more than someone with much more experience in the past, because they go out and work 10 times harder.  Someone who shows initiative is very valuable to the crew.  If you have worked 30 shows, but still have to wait after each task to be told what to do next, you end up being fairly useless to the crew.  If you have shot 30 shows, but never show initiative to learn everything about the setup, such as running continuity checks, firing the display, coordinating with audio technicians, debbuging the different types of firing systems, then you become a permanent “noob”, as your knowledge does not increase as time goes on.  As with any other job, everything is taken into consideration when pay is being determined. 

Because of all these things, pay is never known until after the show has been concluded.  If you are coming out to work a show because you are looking for a paycheck, then you’re there for the wrong reason and will not be asked back on the crew (if you are even allowed to come out in the first place).  I choose crew based upon their motivation and passion for fireworks, their willingness to constantly improve their knowledge and skill in the field, and their dedication to our crew.      

I have always ran my shows with the utmost professionalism in mind.  I tell all my crew this, and keep them to it.  However, this important trait of a professional is not only held to the operator and his crew.  This should also be true of everyone else involved in the production.  This makes for a much smoother and less problematic event.  This can apply to the customer, by making sure he/she has given all appropriate information to the operator in a timely manner.  More importantly this should apply to the fire inspector responsible for double checking that the show setup is safe for the crew and audience.  Now, 95% of the time, this is true.  However I can recall several instances where the fire inspector did not live up to these standards.  First off, a fire inspector should know the federal, state, and his/her own local laws like the back of their hands (as should every operator).  Some inspectors have literally argued with me over the law, until I pull out a written version of it and prove to them otherwise.  This should not be neccessary.  A fire inspector who does not know the law usually gives his own interpretation of it, which usually ends up inconveniencing the operator and his crew in a completely uneccessary way.  It is an inspectors job to know these things.  I had an inspector refuse to wear the safety gear required by law at a show because of his ego.  Come on, really, are you too cool to wear a hard hat?  Give me a break.  If a 6″ shell came down unfired in the firing zone and hit you in the head without a hardhat, I guaruntee that no matter how hard you think your skull is, it will ruin your day.  As an operator, you can not fire the display until everyone in the “firing zone” is fully protected with the required gear.  The operator, not the fire inspector, is held liable for everyone in his firing zone, including the fire inspector, even if they are an idiot (see above).  And besides, these things are plain and simple common sense.  Thank you to the many inspectors who do thier job professionally, and those of you who don’t, please get over your “toughness” and read up on your laws.   

This new years show, we got to see the pure power that 10″ and 12″ shells produce. To start the day off, we off-loaded the truck, everything from 3″ guns in racks all the way up to 8″, 10″, and 12″ guns. The talk of the day was how we could not wait to see them fill the sky.   We loaded the big guns onto the ship we were going to shoot from. New-years came and the show began. You could feel the antisipation fill the air, the show is beginning. The audience starts to scream, the dark night fills with amazing colors, and the new year begins.  Then it happens, 45 seconds into the new year….  “BOOOOM!!!!”   The ship shakes as the lift charge of the first big gun goes off….   The crew draws silent as we feel the compression wave engulf us on the bow of the ship.  We watch the charge fly up into the sky, a lot higher than the other shells in the show. Then, just as we love to see, the 12″ shell explodes into thousands of color mixes.  The shell fills the sky with mezmerizing power and aww. We hear the crowd scream in joy.  -Jeff P.