For me I would ban all fireworks and bonfire parties unless they were professionally hosted at planned events, however with no such restrictions in place it really is the time of year to make sure if you are going to host your own bonfire or fireworks party you really do need to make sure you know how to keep yourself and your guests as safe as can be as with something involving fire that travels at up to 150 mph!
It was really great to see that one of my childhood favourite and one of Joshua’s current favourite characters is supporting the be safe this bonfire night campaign in conjunction with East Sussex Fire & Rescue with their top tips to keeping safe videos that can all be found HERE
Sometimes refreshing ourselves on the things we can do to help make something safe can really help us get into the mindset properly, an example of the Fireman Sam video tip is below:
Fireman Sam’s Top Tips Bonfire
Do’s and Don’ts
- Site bonfire well away from houses, garages, sheds, fences, overhead cables, trees and always keep away from fireworks.
- Build the bonfire stack so that it is stable and never light with flammable liquids.
- Keep everyone away from the fire, especially children who must be supervised at all times, and pets are best kept indoors.
- In case of an emergency, keep buckets of water, the garden hose or a fire extinguisher ready.
- Pour water on the embers before leaving.
Firework Dos and Don’ts
- Keep fireworks in a closed metal box and take them out one at a time.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on each firework. Read them by torchlight – NEVER a naked flame.
- Light fireworks at arm’s length using a safety firework lighter or fuse wick. NEVER go back to a lit firework.
- Always wear gloves when handling sparklers and hold at arm’s length. Once finished, put in a bucket of water.
- Never give sparklers to children under 5.
For me ensuring you have a safe place to hold a bonfire/fireworks party is paramount. Not every garden is safe, with over hanging trees or cables and space in garden a premium having a large enough area really is something you need but yet many folk underestimate the space needed to safely house a bonfire or to let off fireworks!
So what can you do for bonfire night if your garden is to small and you don’t want visit an organised display?
Why not have a bonfire night themed evening at home instead?
We are planning a bonfire themed night along with going out to an event and are planning some of the wonderfully brilliant crafts from the fantastic Jen from Mum In The Madhouse below …
However staying in or going out bonfire night themed foods sound like a certain winner for us, with a hubs with a bottomless belly and a son the same way to feeding the family normally is a boring affair to I’m thinking why not introduce some bonfire themed food essentials like lovely Hijacked by Twins who made some wonderful Parkin that is one of my most favourite eats for the season .. or what about some brilliantly fun edible sparklers that could get all the family involved with making?
What ever you have planned this year in the form of a bonfire and or fireworks please do keep safe and warm and remember to take some time to think it through … one mistake could be very costly.