Designing A Fireworks Display - On Site Setup Procedures
On the day of the show the actual display itself should be prepared. This should always be done in the daytime well ahead of the shows start time. Some of the main advantages are :
Visibility: By setting up your display during the daylight and being able to see what you are doing without a flashlight, you can plan exactly where each item is best placed, have a better idea of safety zones and prevent yourself losing things in the dark.
Pace: Because each item is already set up and ready to ignite, no time is wasted running back and forth between the firework firing and supply sites - this puts less stress on the firer, allows time for clear thinking and looks far more professional to the spectators.
Safety: If setting up an electronically fired display, wiring it in daylight greatly reduces the risk of tripping over and disconnecting any cables or ematches..
Effect: Since you are setting up in advance you can make any final changes to the display you designed in advance planning, dependent on changing conditions or other factors
Pre Assembly
You should begin setting up for your display in the afternoon of the day you plan on firing the show. Make sure it's clear of flammable debris and that you have all the equipment you need especially water and wind proofing if there is any possibility of poor weather.
- Set up the control panel in the area where you plan on firing the show from. It should be off ground in a place where no one can get to it and have the battery right next to the panel, but Not Plugged In.
- Mark out the exact places where the firework stations/racks will go, - spray painted breeze blocks used for stabilising the racks are good for this purpose.
- String out the firing wires to each location, and hook them up to the firing panel. Don't bring out the fireworks yet.
- Mark a line about 30' behind your control box to keep the audience a safe distance from the fireworks, and prevent anyone from tripping on the wires prior to show time.
- Take the mortar and mine racks to the appropriate locations and bury them/surround them with sandbags. Drive any roman candle triangles securely into the ground.
- Place mounting racks for set pieces, wheels, mortars and other fixed devices.
Fireworks Setup And Fusing
Don't be tempted to set up the fireworks too early, the longer you leave fireworks in the open, the higher the chance that they will absorb moisture and be ruined. Shells can blow up on the ground if they are loaded into the tubes too long before the show, as moisture gets into the lift charges or expands the outer casing.
Any type of firework that shoots effects into the air should be braced using sandbags, bricks, cinder blocks or any other suitably sturdy method. Failure to do so is likely to cause the lift charge, unstable terrain, wind or even rough grass to destabilise the firework, potentially toppling it and allowing it to fire any remaining effects along the ground!
This can lead to an extremely hazardous situation with the effects firing at the pyro team, into other nearby fireworks or directly into the audience.
For a small show, you should aim to have the fireworks set up and fused around 30 minutes before the display is due to be fired..
- Make sure all of the control panel switches are off, and that it's not plugged into the battery.
- Bring out the fireworks to their pre-marked locations and either fuse or hook up the wires to each firework.
- Attach any set pieces to their mounting frames.
- Stabilise all aerial devices.
- Spark and weather-proof all fireworks.
- Aerial Shells and Mines - Do not load the shells until the mortar tubes are on the firing site and the racks are securely stabilised.
Aerial shell and mine tubes always need to be braced, no matter how big the plastic base is or how stable it seems. Wind or even unstable terrain (such as grass) can cause it to fall over. The easiest way to stabilize it is to simply place a couple bricks on top of the base, which will keep it from moving. If you plan on doing lots of shells, however, you may want to consider building a mortar rack.
Spark proofing a mortar like this is very important - since all of the shells/mines will be loaded before hand, you don't want to take any chances of burning fallout accidentally igniting one of them. To do this, cover the exposed fuse by wrapping a long, thin piece of aluminium foil around it.
Make sure that the fuse is coming outside of the tube, then cover the mouth of the tube with foil. Waterproofing is done simply by placing a plastic bag around the mouth of the mortar and securing it with a rubber band. When it's time to fire, the fuse cover should be removed to ignite it, but the waterproofing and spark proofing can stay in place. Any shell will pass very easily through it.
Rockets - Both bottle rockets and skyrockets should be launched from a plastic or metal pipe aimed at no more than 20 degrees from vertical and directly away from the audience area. The pipe only needs to be wide enough to accommodate the rocket's stick, metal pipes work well because they can easily be pounded into the ground. If the ground is really tough, you can hammer in a piece of metal bar, and then attach a length of pipe to that. Either way, make sure the pipe is stable and won't tip over later on during the day or during the show. Never launch rockets by sticking them in the ground - most of the time they will tip over an shoot off horizontally or remain stuck in the ground and blow up.
To rainproof rockets, put a plastic bag over the top and secure it with a rubber band. When it's time for ignition, don't rip the bag off - it may damage the rocket. Cut the rubber band, then remove the bag. Don't light the rocket with the bag still on it.
Roman Candles: If using triangle racks for Roman Candles, group the candles together that will eventually go on the sides of the triangle and quick match them - attach all the fuses to a piece of quick match, and hook up an electrical igniter to the quick match. Attach the roman candles to the triangles using duct tape, electrical tape, or tie cords.
If not using the triangle method, be aware that because of their width, roman candles are nearly impossible to stick into the ground without destroying the tube. A simple idea is use a long plastic planter boxes and fill it halfway with dirt or rocks, stick in the candles, then fill the rest in and compact it down. This makes it quite heavy, though, so it's best to do this right where you plan to fire the candles from. Arrange the candles in a fan shape pattern and connect them with quick match, or tape them up into bundles of 7 or so before you bury them. This makes them much more interesting when they go off.
To waterproof, just slip a bag over the top and secure it with a rubber band, just like you'd do with a rocket or shell tube. It may also be a good idea to wrap the rest of the candle tube in aluminium foil or plastic wrap, especially if it's angled or the rain is blowing down at an angle.
Wheels, Saxons - These devices need a hard, sturdy surface to be nailed into. Fence posts work fine, providing that you thoroughly douse it with water beforehand to reduce the likelihood of a fire. In most cases, you'll probably have to drive a long wooden stake into the ground to mount them on. If this is the case, be sure the stake won't fall over - wheels and saxons product a lot of thrust. When you nail them into their posts, be sure that they rotate freely around the nail without getting caught on anything. Wheels that don't spin are very, very boring. To protect from weather, tie a bag around it - and make sure no water can get in.
Final Checks
Provided that you have timed the setup correctly, you should have around 30 minutes to complete final checks using a flashlight.
Walk around to each firework and double check to make sure that everything is hooked up correctly.
Run continuity tests on all components of an electronic display.
Make sure that any fuse interconnecting different items in the display are intact and won't come lose when quick match is fired.
Power on each individual receiver unit in an electronic wireless display and set each one to the "Fire" position.
Make sure that the audience is still within the safe designated Audience Viewing Area, and that the person providing the cue for the start of the show knows that you are ready to fire.
Ignition
Now you're ready to begin. Making sure again that there is no one located in a danger area, connect the battery to and turn on the main board. Run a final continuity test and then arm the display by turning the key or setting the switch to the "Fire" position and then, when you're ready, begin the show... top
Site Clean Up
Once every firework has gone out, you should be able to see any lingering sparks or small fires that may have broken out during the course of the show. Wait about 10 minutes in case there's any hang fires or smoldering fireworks. Then approach with a water gun or water bucket and douse anything that might be burning.
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