Here at Wedding Day Sparklers, we understand that some people are going to use more than just sparklers at their wedding celebration and that larger fireworks will often times be present. While we encourage people to have fun at their wedding and use fireworks at their own discretion, there are some dangers and pitfalls that accompany the use of items that pack much more punch than wedding sparklers. Most notably, handling firework duds may be an obstacle because they’re common on larger items, and knowing how to handle these situations is crucial if you want to avoid injury.
The problem is that most people immediately think “okay, it didn’t go off so I’m safe to go and pick it up”. This can be a massive mistake, and it can even be a deadly one under the perfect storm of circumstances. Just imagine using sparklers on Christmas morning only to find out they are a hazard! You need to always treat every firework as if it were a live firework to avoid injury. Here are some tips for handling firework duds and misfires at your wedding to ensure you and your guests make it through in one piece.
Handling Firework Duds
We’ve all had it happen; you light the fuse but nothing happens or the firework partially executes and then fizzles out prematurely. Even sparklers reach very high temperatures, so you don’t want to mess with a potentially live firework. When this happens there’s only one correct thing to do, and that’s to douse the firework in water. Completely soaking the dud firework will not only extinguish any remaining parts of the firework that are still burning but it will also prevent additional tubes or internal elements from beginning their burn. Once you soak it from afar with a hose or a bucket of water, scoop it up with a shovel and fully submerge it in a bucket of water to ensure it is completely water-logged and safe for disposal. this is the best way to go about handling firework duds safely.
Handling Firework Misfires
So what do you do if you light a mortar in a tube, the lift charge goes off, but the mortar never leaves exits the end of the tube? You guessed; hit it with a hose immediately. Not everyone is familiar with how an aerial fireworks shell works, but all too often mortars will get wedged into a tube and the lifting charge doesn’t have enough power to push it out of the end. When this happens, you can have what is known as a “flower pot” which is when the mortar explodes inside the tube on the ground. If your tubes are not properly designed (and often times even if they are), the tube can explode and sent shrapnel in all directions at your wedding guests. If you douse the tube and the mortar inside with water from a hose immediately, you can usually eliminate the problem before it has a chance to spiral out of control.
Though duds and misfires are fairly uncommon while using fireworks, you still need to know what to do when faced with that challenge. To keep your guests safe and your wedding incident-free, you need to have a hose and buckets of water on hand as well as the knowledge of handling firework duds and misfires if you’re even considering using large fireworks at your wedding.
