Bonfire night safety for schools

Bonfire night safety for schools

Bonfire night is fast approaching and although this time of year is fun, it can be highly dangerous. As an SBM, it is your duty to ensure the safety of students and staff. To help you look after your school this bonfire night, we have outlined some bonfire night safety for schools tips.

Educate your students and staff and make everyone aware on the repercussions if safety measures aren’t put into place on bonfire night. Ensure that you thoroughly research how to implement safety measures so that you can be as knowledgeable as possible on the topic. This will make sure that everyone receives the correct information they need to have a fun and safe bonfire night.

Advice for secondary schools and older students

With older students, it’s easier to make them aware of legislation to do with fireworks and repercussions. Ensure that they have the knowledge to make safe decisions which is vital.

Over 550 children under the age of 16 are taken to A&E in the four weeks surrounding bonfire night. Teenagers are most likely to get hold of fireworks or firecrackers around this time of the year. This can result in injuries and worst-case death. Giving information to older students surrounding legislation will help to reduce the misuse of fireworks.

The main area to focus on for legislation is the Think, Check and Respect code.

Think is in terms of thinking about your safety when near fireworks, especially when lighting them. Don’t return to a lit firework as they can be unpredictable and can go off at any time. Stand well back in a space that’s a safe distance from the fireworks.

Check is mainly for the use of fireworks and where you purchase them from. All fireworks must be legal and purchased from an authorised seller. There are many people selling illegal fireworks that pose a danger if used. When buying fireworks, you need to check that they are legal, and that the seller is authorised.

Respect is about the community that surrounds you and being aware of them. When doing your own firework display it is essential to let your neighbours know or ask permission. This will help you to decide whether to do your own firework display. The community around you could be elderly, have pets that are frightened or even have babies. Also, remember that after 11pm it is illegal to set fireworks off and make lots of noise.

For further information and legislation to share with students check out BFAs website here.

Advice for primary schools

Keep younger students safe with basic bonfire night safety rules. Make them aware of dangers so that they can build up safety awareness skills that are vital as they grow older.

Some basic tips to include for younger children are:

• Build bonfires in a safe location
• Ensure bonfires are stable and never light with a flammable liquid
• Keep everyone back from open fires
• Always follow instructions for fireworks and buy from legitimate retailers
• Always light fireworks at arm's length and wear gloves

Delve deeper into these basic tips and get students to watch the fireman Sam videos on Cheshire’s fire website.

Bonfire safety

Educate students about bonfire safety and show them what they can do to help themselves stay safe. A great place to start is with appropriate clothing to wear when going to a bonfire or having your own in the garden. The main thing to think about when choosing what to wear is to avoid loose clothing when around a bonfire. Wearing gloves should also be advised, even if the children don’t touch anything that can burn them. Also, if scarves are worn, they should be tucked in under their coats as the smallest ember from a bonfire can start a fire. Remember to address that long hair should be tied back too to ensure it doesn’t catch fire.

Once the basics have been covered that students can do themselves, educate them and remind staff of how to safely do a bonfire. Some bonfire safety tips that are crucial to cover are:

• One person should be responsible for the bonfire and children must be supervised
• Ensure the bonfire is away from any wooden fences, shed and where children may choose to play
• Never pour petrol on to the fire. It is safer to use fire lighters which help to prevent flare-ups
• Have a bucket of cold water to hand in case of any emergencies- this will help to treat burns
• When the bonfire has ended make sure to pour water onto it, don’t leave it to burn out
• Make sure you stand well back from the bonfire and never go near it to avoid injuries

Firework safety

When it comes to fireworks, SBMs must stress the dangers of using them at home as well as advise how to keep safe around them. It is also crucial to address the legislation with fireworks to avoid fireworks getting into children's hands and reducing incidents.

The most important rule to let children know about is that fireworks are only supposed to be purchased by adults ages 18 and over. Stress that is illegal for any child to have fireworks and light them. When adults are lighting fireworks, children should not be asked to assist in any way. And after use, fireworks must be disposed of correctly.

Children should stay clear of a firework display to ensure that sparks don’t catch them. For at home firework displays, there should be buckets of water in case, eye protection to prevent sparks going into eyes and gloves.

Particularly with older students, drive the message of fatal accidents that can occur from messing around with fireworks. Children should not touch, play with, throw or light fireworks. Explore repercussions from children handling fireworks such as accidents and the law. This will help deter students from wanting to play with fireworks.

Sparkler safety

Sparklers are fun for children to play with and can be magical for them as they spell out letters. However, sparklers are extremely dangerous even though they may not look like it. Educate students on how to use sparklers safely to prevent any incidents occurring.

Sparklers actually burn at fierce temperatures that are equivalent to a welding torch. Due to this, children under 5 shouldn’t touch sparklers. It is safer for children to wear gloves when handling sparklers to decrease the risk of burning. To hold sparklers safely they should be held at arm's length whilst an adult lights them and should be lit one at a time.

Whilst using sparklers, children should hold them at the very end of the stick and never touch the end that is lit (or even close to it).  They should also never be waved around too close to other people as they could get hurt from sparks or the sparkler itself.

Once finished with sparklers they should be put into a bucket of cold water and then disposed of once cooled.

Due to the dangers sparklers pose, try to encourage your school to go sparkler free this bonfire night. Instead, let students be creative and advise staff to craft pinwheels with ribbon hanging off. Once outside in the wind they will spin, and the ribbon will create wonderful colours in the night sky.

Bonfire night can be enjoyed by everyone, however, use this bonfire night safety for schools advice to ensure that everyone stays safe. Research further into safety measures and even get your local fire station to come in and talk about bonfire safety to students. Educate students to enhance their safety awareness skills whilst minimising risks that can occur.

For further details on bonfire night safety, take a look at our ‘firework safety dos and don’ts’ infographic.

We hope you have an enjoyable and safe bonfire night with family or friends.