The British Pyrotechnists Association (BPA) is the trade body that represents the majority of professional firework display companies in the United Kingdom. The Association is committed to maintaining high standards amongst its members, whose activities include the manufacture, importation, sale, transportation, training and use of display fireworks both by members of the public and professionals.
The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display, a display of the effects produced by firework devices. Fireworks competitions are also regularly held at a number of places.
As a central representative body the British Pyrotechnists Association encourages the highest standards with respect to safety, on-site practice and performance of fireworks displays by its members and members of the general public. The Association is a central source of information on all questions relating to the display industry and is responsible for maintaining close liaison with the appropriate authorities on all matters concerning the manufacture, storage, transportation and exhibition of display fireworks. It also considers, makes recommendations, or takes other necessary action on all related aspects of UK and European legislation governing professional fireworks and related products.
Members of the Association sit on a number of Health and Safety Executive and Local Government enforcement committees, along with European committees concerned with the harmonisation of fireworks related legislation throughout the European Community.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. It is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom with its headquarters in Bootle, England. In Northern Ireland, these duties lie with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. The HSE was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and has since absorbed earlier regulatory bodies such as the Factory Inspectorate and the Railway Inspectorate though the Railway Inspectorate was transferred to the Office of Rail and Road in April 2006. The HSE is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. As part of its work, HSE investigates industrial accidents, small and large, including major incidents such as the explosion and fire at Buncefield in 2005. Though it formerly reported to the Health and Safety Commission, on 1 April 2008, the two bodies merged.
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body or the process of making it. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to as "legislation", while it remains under consideration to distinguish it from other business. Legislation can have many purposes: to regulate, to authorize, to outlaw, to provide (funds), to sanction, to grant, to declare or to restrict. It may be contrasted with a non-legislative act which is adopted by an executive or administrative body under the authority of a legislative act or for implementing a legislative act.
Firer's Examination Scheme
In 2003 the British Pyrotechnists Association introduced a Firer’s training scheme for its members, to help set a common standard of safety and knowledge throughout the professional display industry. The scheme requires candidates to undertake a course of training in accordance with a detailed syllabus, after which they sit an exam. Successful candidates are then issued with a BPA Firer’s identification card to show that they have undertaken the training course and passed the exam. The Association maintains a register of firers on its website that can be checked by anyone wanting to verify the authenticity of BPA Firer’s identification.
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Although there is no statutory requirement in the United Kingdom for professional display operators to be licensed or to have received any training, many local authorities and organisations will only allow companies and individuals to work for them who have achieved the BPA qualification.
There are two levels of achievement in the scheme. Level 1 is for all personnel involved in setting up and firing professional firework displays, and the higher Level 2 is for professional firework displays managers and supervisors. The scheme is based on a sound knowledge of the hazards associated with:
- Firework types
- Firework effects
- Fireworks in transport
- Rigging techniques
- Site design
- Firing methods
- Fallout considerations
- Disposal
In addition to the training and examination, each candidate is required to maintain a log book of their firework display experience. The log book can be used to verify that display personnel have the necessary practical experience, in a variety of display environments, to complement their formal training.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a United States trade association, albeit with some international members, that creates and maintains private, copyrighted standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments. The association was formed in 1896 by a group of insurance firms. Its purpose was to standardize the then-new fire sprinkler systems. In 2018, the NFPA claims to have 50,000 members and c. 9,000 volunteers working with the organization through its 250 technical committees.
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Fantastic Fireworks is a British company that stages large-scale fireworks displays in Europe and the Far East. It was founded in 1985 and is based in Pepperstock.
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