3 NOVEMBER 2006 MEDIA RELEASE

Speak Up If You See Trouble

Read the instructions, watch your children, speak up if you see trouble and this Guy Fawkes weekend can have a happy ending.

That’s the message from the New Zealand Fire Service, New Zealand Police, Environment Risk Management Authority and the Ministry for the Environment.

“Just because the first few days of fireworks sales have been disappointing in terms of misuse of fireworks, it doesn’t mean this has to continue,” says Fire Service national safety adviser Gary Talbot.

“Ultimately, making fireworks safe is up to the people lighting them. That means parents making sure children are supervised; that there is nothing that can catch fire near the area the fireworks are being let off, and that if something does go wrong, that someone calls 111 fast.

“If fireworks are going off in dangerous situations, whether its vandalism or by accident, call 111 and ask for fire. That way, we’ll know that any small fires are put out and that everyone in the vicinity is safe,” says Mr Talbot.

Police, firefighters and medical personnel will all be on the beat or on stand-by to do their job this weekend, but Mr Talbot says the people with the most crucial role to play are the ones with the bags of fireworks in their hands.
The main points to keep at the front of your mind are:

• Read the instructions carefully
• Read them with a torch, not with a match or lighter
• Light in a wide open area away from anything that could catch fire
• Keep a bucket of water or a hose handy
• Keep all unlit fireworks in their box or bag until you light them

ends

© Scoop Media