West Yorkshire Bonfire and Firework Safety
After responding to 427 bonfire-related incidents last year, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are urging us to stay safe this bonfire season.
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00:00 When the large annual council-run bonfire events were cancelled again this year, with
00:06 no sign that they will ever return, there was a heated debate.
00:10 One councillor said the move risked sucking the life and joy out of Leeds, but the council
00:14 reiterated their current budget pressures.
00:17 A public consultation saw some raise concerns about the impact such events have on local
00:22 wildlife habitats, air quality and pets, while others said having multiple unregulated home
00:28 displays would be more detrimental to the environment.
00:31 Whether you're organising your own bonfire gathering or attending one of the smaller
00:35 local displays still taking place across the region, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue are
00:39 urging us to keep safety in mind at all times.
00:43 Bonfire is always a busy period for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
00:47 What we always try to do is make sure that people understand the do's and don'ts around
00:50 bonfires.
00:51 So, first and foremost, if you are going to go out on bonfire night, we'd like you to
00:55 go to an organised event.
00:57 It's always better to go to an organised big event.
00:59 If you decide you want a small bonfire at home, always keep it small, make sure there's
01:04 plenty of water, buckets, a hosepipe just in case.
01:07 Last year we attended 427 incidents.
01:10 Over the last five years, we've attended incidents where we've been attacked 72 times.
01:16 So it's about reducing that ASB behaviour, the anti-social behaviour that goes with bonfire
01:21 period which seems to accelerate at that time of year.
01:25 Anti-social behaviour was one of the factors for the cancellation of this year's Garthorth
01:29 and District lines display, which had been going for 40 years.
01:34 When we talk about firefighter attacks, there's a multitude of different things.
01:39 Obviously verbal abuse is not acceptable.
01:42 Physical abuse is never acceptable.
01:44 But it's not just fireworks that they're attacking us with.
01:48 It could be stones, bricks, lighters, vapes, whatever they can have in their hand at that
01:53 time.
01:54 So those are the types of attacks we're getting under.
01:56 In 2022, 37% of the incidents the fire service responded to involved an injury, and they're
02:02 hoping to make this season injury free.
02:06 If a firework does, you do try to light it and it doesn't light, don't go near it, stay
02:09 away from it for a period of time and then eventually pop it in a bucket of water or
02:13 a bucket of sand just so it doesn't go off later on at a time.
02:17 And obviously we just want to make sure that people don't use naked flames.
02:19 If you are going to have fireworks about, make sure they're in some sort of steel container
02:23 to keep them protected at all times.
02:26 And we just don't want people to get burnt.
02:28 I've been to loads where people have allowed the bonfire to grow that big that they've
02:33 destroyed or damaged their own property.
02:35 So it's just about making sure that they understand that big isn't necessarily better.
02:40 We've been working with our partners such as the police, local authority, just to help
02:46 educate key audiences, especially 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16 year olds about the dangers.
02:55 We encourage everybody to have a fantastic bonfire period, but please, please, please
03:01 be safe.