Radio Leeds – 5^th November 2010

John Woodhead, former chairman of the British Fireworks Association, is a guest on Radio Leeds’s radio show along with a West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue representative and a West Yorkshire MP talking about Bonfire Night and fireworks and how to stay safe with fireworks and enjoy Bonfire Night. Let us know your views about fireworks after reading below.

Radio DJ: “So it’s November 5^th, it’s Bonfire Night. Loads and loads of parties will be going on across the county; private ones, public ones, council run ones. What kind of preparations are going ahead and how do we keep them safe? We’ll be hearing from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue about the preparations that they are making. We will also be hearing from a West Yorkshire MP whose calling for stricter rules on fireworks to stop them getting into the hands of the youths who like to run around and put them in letterboxes. We will also be hearing from someone from the firework industry so all that to come.

So it is Bonfire Night and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue will be pretty busy as they always are, we can speak to Brian Robson who is from the service. Hi Brian�

Brian Robson: “Good morning Bob�

Radio DJ: “It’s a cliché but is it your busiest night?�

Brian Robson: “It is, yes it is. It’s a bit like Christmas Eve for the fire service and it really does put us on our metal to make sure that we keep everything safe, and it’s all about making sure that the public have a really good but safe time during this time of year�

Radio DJ: “So physically, literally, what do you do in preparation to make it safe?�

Brian Robson: “We’ve been working on Bonfire Night now for the last 6 months. We meet with our colleagues from the Police, from the councils, and we make sure that all the elements that we need to put together are there for us to be able to make things safe. For instance, we’ve had campaigns running for the last month; poster campaigns to make sure that the public are safe and that we remind them just how dangerous bonfires and fireworks can be. We’ve had cooperation from our colleagues in the council who are clearing rubbish away as we speak clearing rubbish away to make sure its nice and safe and we also work very closely with colleagues from the Police because sadly this is the time of the year where if there are going to be attacks on fire crews who are dealing with incidents then this is when its going to happen.

Radio DJ: “What sort of attacks do you suffer?�

Brian Robson: “Over the years we’ve suffered from verbal abuse, we’ve suffered from physical attacks on crews, we’ve had fire engines with bricks thrown at them and we work very hard to make sure that our crews are safe when they turn out�

Radio DJ: “And is this because you’ve taken fireworks off people and they’re annoyed?�

Brian Robson: “It’s just a time of year thing. In the fire service it’s known as the silly season, the dark nights come in and we have issues. I’ve got to say that over the last 3 or 4 years it’s certainly not the problem that we had 10 years ago say, but we still have to be on our metal. Tonight for instance we will have special crews out on the streets who will be out there just making sure that we have that extra level of support for our fire crews in case anything does go wrong�

Radio DJ: “And I’m guessing that you have an increased level of people calling in and having call outs at this time of year?�

Brian Robson: “We do. It probable sounds strange for somebody to say that they’ve actually enjoyed the weather that we’ve just had in the last week. Clearly that keeps people off the streets, it means that the wood and things that people would normally be setting fire to before Bonfire Night hasn’t actually happened this year, we’ve had lots of rain, its all very wet out there. The forecast is slightly different this evening so were going to have to be a little bit careful I think�

Radio DJ: “Ok, well just stay there if you would Brian because there’s a couple of other issues that I need to cover here, we’ve been talking to Leeds MP Fabian Hamilton who says there’s a problem with the misuse of fireworks and that although he enjoys them himself he thinks enforcement rules and pricing would be well worthwhile. This is what he says�

Fabian Hamilton: “I don’t want to be a killjoy; I love fireworks, along with so many people in this country at this time of the year who absolutely adore seeing fireworks. What I want to do is to stop them being used to terrorise other people and that is a question as much of regulation and pricing as it is enforcement�

Radio DJ: “So that’s Leeds MP Fabian Hamilton, let’s bring in John Woodhead. John Woodhead until last year was the chairman of the British Fireworks Association, he’s been in the business for an awful long time, probably longer than he would care to remember. Good morning to you John�

John Woodhead: “Good morning Bob�

Radio DJ: “So almost 50 years you’ve been in this business?�

John Woodhead: “I don’t admit it but yes�

Radio DJ: “So what do you say? Fabian Hamilton is saying what can we do to stop these fireworks getting in the hands of the trouble makers that like to use them to terrorise people?�

John Woodhead: “Well I’m a bit surprised that Fabian Hamilton is saying that now, ill just bring up something that Brian Robson said a few minutes ago and that is that he is relating back to 4 years ago when there hasn’t been the problems that there were. Fabian Hamilton’s own government in 2004 helped with the assistance of the firework industry and particularly with Bradford MP Jenny Sutcliffe, who was Consumer Minister at that time, pushed the regulations that changed the whole thing considerably. I live in Kirkburton and frankly for the last 2 or 3 years there have been no abuse of fireworks and I think if you were to ask your listeners they would say the same, it is a different world. Yes we’ve got to always be careful to tell people to be careful with fireworks. Fireworks in themselves aren’t dangerous, fireworks if abused are and I think Brian would back me up on that�

Radio DJ: “Absolutely Brian but is John correct to say there isn’t the abuse? I myself was walking my dog last week in the park in broad daylight and there was a gang of about 20 kids and they were chasing each other firing off rockets at each other, in broad daylight! And these kids were young teenagers, probably 12 or 13�

Brian Robson: “I’ve got to say now that that’s more the exception than the rule. The law changed 4, 5 years ago, has completely changed the way that things build up to Bonfire Night. We still have issues with young people, they don’t tend to have fireworks in their hands as much as they used to. I’ve got to agree with John on that one. The real thing with us and I will again go back to what John said there, it’s about using them properly. As late as last year I was out on the streets on Bonfire Night watching families giving fireworks to children to actually put in their hands. It’s about reading the instructions and it’s about common sense�

John Woodhead: “Can I come in there Bob?�

Radio DJ: “Yes, do�

John Woodhead: “And say that that legislation that came in 2004 changed things totally as far as people under 18, until 2004 people couldn’t buy fireworks under the age of 18 but they could use them that changed the laws totally. And those kids that were running after about in the park that you saw, if they were under 18, they were breaking the law and I think it ought to be realised that and I think parents ought to realise if they give fireworks to their kids in a public place then they are breaking the law�

Radio DJ: “What about the argument though that has been made, and I think Fabian Hamilton made this, if you were to keep fireworks legal as they are now for families to buy and to enjoy safely but you package them in a way that you have to buy a kind of family set, that’s going to cost you at least £50 that will give you a few family rockets, a few sparklers and a few nice golden fountains. That’s going to be available to people to afford to have their own party and it means that the kids aren’t going to hang out the shop saying, mr can you buy me a pack of rockets?�

John Woodhead: “Bob, I’m sure that there will be a few of your listeners that will hang up their hands in horror that they’d have to spend £50 on fireworks. I mean go to any of the supermarkets today and you’ll find people buying fireworks in £10 boxes and £20 boxes�

Radio DJ: “But should they be more?�

John Woodhead: “No, I don’t think they should. I think the firework industry would be delighted if they could get £50 a box but I think it’s about making fireworks available to the general public at sensible prices because there are families that just love to have fireworks but can’t afford a lot of money on them. There will be loads and loads of people tonight and tomorrow night who will fall into that category. On the other hand people will go to specialist shops and spend hundreds of pounds and I think there has got to be the availability to all as long as people are sensible and don’t menace other people with them�

Radio DJ: “What about the issue John, a lot of people that have contacted BBC Radio Leeds over the last couple of days on this issue have said, why do these things, why should these things be available all year round now? And it goes from every single festival now that is celebrated, fireworks seem to be involved. From now, right through until Easter time really, for the Christian festivals, for the Muslim festivals, for the Hindu ones and for public holidays and that drives people mad. Why can’t we just have it that for just maybe 3 days around November 5th we have this market for fireworks and the rest of the time you can’t get them?�

John Woodhead: “Well can I say that I was on the various committees that sat in the run up to this legislation in 2004 and can I tell you there were amazing representations from minority groups who said look we want our fireworks its Diwali tomorrow night for instance, tonight rather, the Asian festival. That floats about a matter of 3 weeks, at Chinese New Year, French Bastille Day, American Independence Day; we’ve got loads of people from other countries and were an international world now quite honestly. I think that people have the right to have them. Can I just say, they’re not generally available, nowadays if a shop wants to sell fireworks all year round they have to pay £500 license fee, and ill bet there aren’t more than half a dozen in the whole of your region who are selling fireworks all year round legally.

Radio DJ: “Ok�

John Woodhead: “It isn’t as prevalent as it might seem but we haven’t got to take away peoples fun, and incidentally in part of that legislation there is a cut off time of 11pm. Nobody can set off fireworks after 11pm except believe it or not, tonight and New Years Eve�

Radio DJ: “Alright, John Woodhead I’ve got to leave it there thank you for your time – the former chairman of the British Fireworks Association there�

Tags: bonfire night, bonfire season, firework regulations, firework safety, Fireworks, fireworks at home, fireworks night

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