Fireworks/Pyrotechnics Blog

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.