Safety Guidelines

As approved by the Board of Directors May 1, 2010

  1. Authority and Scope

    These Guidelines shall be known as the Official Fireworks Safety Guidelines and be cited as such. They shall be referred to herein as "The Guidelines." Enforcement of these guidelines is every member's responsibility. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disciplinary action including expulsion from the club.

    These Guidelines shall remain an official document of the Crackerjacks until amended or discontinued by the Board of Directors. The guidelines represent a minimum requirement, and the Board of Directors reserves the right at any time to enforce more detailed guidelines at any time.

    Scope: These guidelines apply to the handling, storage, discharge, or other use of all kinds of fireworks and pyrotechnic devices during any Crackerjacks event. These guidelines apply to all members regardless of seniority, certification and or license level, or position in the club and to friends, relatives, non-members and other persons attending a Crackerjacks event. Members are required to report all incidents, injuries and accidents to either to the safety team of a member of the Board of Directors immediately.
  2. Safety Committee and Team

    A Safety Committee, having complete authority over safety matters, shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. The Safety chairperson shall enlist the assistance of team members that may vary from shoot to shoot.

    All Safety Team members shall be required to attend at least one of three safety briefings by the Safety Chairperson(s) at each shoot. The Safety Committee shall make available a reference copy of these Guidelines, and Safety Team members shall be familiar with guideline contents.
    1. Members of the Safety Committee shall enlist Safety Team members to be present before, during, and after the discharge of all fireworks in shoot areas.
    2. Members of the Safety Committee, in agreement with of the Board of Directors may halt or postpone any or all pyrotechnic activities as they deem necessary. Activities shall resume upon approval of both the Safety Chairperson, or designee, and the Board of Directors.
    3. All Safety Team personnel while on duty shall be provided with identifying markings that are visible during daylight.
    4. Selected Safety Team members may be provided with portable two way voice communication (Walkie-Talkie or equivalent devices) capable of communication with other Team members situated in critical areas such as spectator viewing locations and fallout zones.
    5. Safety Team members may be stationed at important shooting areas and may assist the Board of Directors in determining the safe viewing areas for members who are spectators (not participating as a crew member of a show). The Safety Team may appoint Club members from the B show crew or from the Manufacturing area to monitor those areas.
    6. The Safety Committee will maintain a first aid kit which shall be present at all times at every shoot and will be located at the Safety tent. In the event there is any need to use the first aid kit, the member name, injury and incident will be reported to the President and/or the Board of Directors immediately. Any incident reports of injury will be reported in writing by the Safety Chairperson.
    7. The Safety Team will maintain an adequate supply of portable water at all firing sites to be used for flooding mortars, extinguishing fires, or other needs. 8. The Safety Committee Chairperson shall investigate any instances of unsafe practice or conditions, whether observed directly or reported by others, and take appropriate action. This action may include halting the activity or related activities until safe practices are met. The Safety Team will then follow the guidelines listed in Section XI.
  3. Membership General Safety Requirements

    Material shall ONLY be fired in the approved areas for specific types of fireworks. If unsure as to where you should shoot a device, please ask a Safety Team member or Board member. Absolutely NO fireworks are to be discharged in the parking areas.

    The following items are absolutely prohibited from all areas; parachute flares, high explosives, ground based liquid fueled flame device, explosive gas mixtures, and firearms. Any exception to this must be made by the Board of Directors.
    1. Safety glasses MUST be worn in all open shooting areas as well as in the Manufacturing area.
    2. Persons acting in an irresponsible manner or who appear to be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs will not be permitted to handle or discharge any fireworks.
    3. Guests are only permitted in firing areas when accompanied by their sponsoring club member.
    4. Members who are not designated as crew; in PGI certification training; or not previously approved by the lead shooter, should respectfully remain outside of the display area.
    5. Live material is not to be placed in any trash container.
    6. All attendees MUST have and display a badge.
    7. Any disposal of product in the burn pile, and those participating in such disposal, must be authorized by the President.
  4. Safety Rules Pertaining to Minors (Persons under the age of 18)
    1. Minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult inside all shoot areas.
    2. Minors may manufacture when the following conditions are met:
      1. Accompanied by a parent or guardian.
      2. The Club liability waiver is filled out and signed by the parent or guardian.
      3. Written permission is obtained from the President of the club.
      4. The Safety Team is aware of a, b, and c.
    3. Minors may shoot self-manufactured product when the following conditions are met:
      1. Minor manufactured product (shell / rocket) was made under direct supervision on site.
      2. Shells are loaded and shot by a parent/guardian, manufacturing leader, or Safety Team member.
      3. Minor made rockets are shot under the direct supervision of an adult.
    4. Minors are permitted in the Class C area when the following conditions are met:
      1. Minors must be accompanied by a parent guardian or Safety Team member.
      2. Minors must have completed the safe shooters course.
  5. Lead Shooter, Crew and Display Setup

    The Lead Shooter(s) for Crackerjacks events will be appointed by the Board of Directors. All product set up decisions and selection of crew members in the display area shall be left to the discretion of the Lead Shooter. The Safety Team may ask the Lead Shooter to identify crew members. The Lead Shooter is responsible for the observation of safety rules by all crew members during display setup, firing, and cleanup.
    1. Ready boxes that have closeable lids and are suitable for the material involved should be utilized for all 1.3G pyrotechnic material.
    2. Fireworks shall not be left unattended unless secured in a ready box or loaded in a mortar.
    3. While working on salutes there will be no more than 200 in any mix of sizes out of a ready box or magazine at one time. Salutes being prepped should be done so in small batches, and stored in a ready box, magazine, or loaded into mortars.
    4. The lead shooter or their designee shall brief inexperienced crew members on the correct method of handling and loading shells. Crew members are required to clean mortars of excess paper prior to loading.
    5. Smoking or open flames, other than devices used to ignite fireworks, shall not be permitted in the firing areas.
    6. Fireworks shall not be allowed to become wet.
    7. All shells/salutes greater than 8" MUST be electronically fired, unless express permission has been obtained by the President and the Safety Team has been notified.
    8. Ground Salutes shall be suspended from string at least 2 ft. above the ground and far enough away from wood or steel to prevent flying splinters or shrapnel.
    9. All mortars to be used for repeated hand firing shall be buried at least three-quarters of their length in earth or sand that is free of hazardous debris.
    10. Safety glasses shall be worn by all shooters at the Class B shoot lines during the show. Hard hats are recommended.
    11. Shooters shall not attempt to remove any misfired shells from a mortar without first consulting the lead shooter, Safety Team, or a Board Member.
    12. After the completion of shooting for the night, all firing lines and fallout areas shall be inspected to locate and retrieve hazardous materials.
    13. A first light inspection will be conducted by the Safety Team or their designee.
  6. Class B/1.3G Requirements
    1. Clearly marked firing lines and firing direction shall be established by the Safety Committee. Class B/1.3G testing shall be conducted only at these designated firing sites and only during times scheduled for this purpose.
    2. All shooters shall have an assistant (a shoot buddy or safety person) and will not shoot alone. One of the buddies must be PGI Certified. Together they shall be responsible for spotting material that may drop in the fall out zone as a result from their testing.
    3. Shooters assembled near the Class B area must use the ready box to store product.
    4. If electric match is used, the lead shooter, PGI certified shooter, or board member may determine who is qualified and may supervise and train members on proper techniques for e match. For B 1.3 shot in the experimental area, a licensed shooter, PGI certified shooter, or safety person must accompany member(s) shooting.
    5. Shells with short leaders shall not be fired. For Class B/1.3G testing and competition, at least eight inches of leader and at least three inches of black match shall be exposed from the mouth of the mortar. All black match should be fully covered with a safety cap until the moment of firing.
    6. Safety team members will reserve the right to inspect material brought to the shoot-line for firing. Defective material, bad leaders, under lifted shells and any items prohibited by BATF or PGI guidelines may be disallowed.
  7. Member Made Product

    1. Any member made or homemade shell(s) 5 inches or larger or more than three breaks no matter what size, brought to the club to be shot, must be reviewed by a designated inspection team of builders as determined by the Board of Directors. The builder must present their shell(s) for inspection, and be willing to be interviewed for the purpose of understanding the contents, materials used, and the assembly process used.
    2. The review team may accept the member made shell or device as is, or may accept the device conditionally to be shot from a specific designated area, or with extraordinary safety precautions.
    3. Note: Shells built on site in the Manufacturing area under the supervision of a designate of the board will not require review, but based upon shell size and characteristics may be shot with extraordinary safety precautions.
    4. Leaders on shells to be hand fired must have 8" or more quick match leader protruding from the mortar after the shell has been properly loaded. Leaders shall have a safety cap installed over the lighting end of the leader.
    5. The lift charge and internal delay fuse for members made product must be appropriate to propel the shell to a safe altitude before functioning.
    6. Member made shells / rockets should be labeled with size, the type of shell, the name of the shell maker, and the date of manufacture. If the shell contains one or more salutes, the shell shall be conspicuously labeled.
  8. Electric Firing Precautions

    1. Persons handling any pyrotechnic items with the electric igniters installed, or those installing electric igniters, shall be briefed on their sensitivity to electrostatic discharge, impact, and friction. Ideally (but not required), handlers should have completed PGI certification that includes a workshop on safe match techniques.
    2. The installation of electric igniters and/or the set-up of pyrotechnic items with electric igniters installed shall not take place when electrical storms or lightning are present or forecasted.
    3. 3. When possible, tie a strain relief to the rack to prevent the match from being pulled.
    4. Before continuity checks are made, the immediate area shall be cleared of all personnel by the lead shooter.
    5. All electric igniter leg wires shall be shunted up (twisted together) until hooked up.
  9. Class C/1.4G Shooting Area
    1. Specific times and locations shall be designated for the discharge of Class C/1.4G common fireworks, and product will not be shot outside of these hours.
    2. Only D.O.T. designated Class C/1.4G items shall be discharged in the regular shooting areas. "Super C" or "Baby B" devices to be fired shall receive prior approval from the Safety Team and be shot from a separate area.
    3. Fountains, gerbs, cakes, and candles shall be bedded in sand, positioned on a hard surface, or otherwise supported to prevent toppling when fired. No roman candle or any other device shall be held in hand when firing. No devices are allowed to be lit and thrown.
    4. All Class C/1.4G fireworks brought to a shooting location should be kept in closed containers and maintained behind any established firing lines.
    5. Safety glasses and shoes are required and MUST be worn for those participating in Class C/1.4G open shooting.
    6. Shooters are required to remove foil, plastic parts of cakes and prep their fuses in advance, and are asked to remove paper wrappers from the top in advance to reduce clean up.
    7. Shooters assembled near the Class C area are encouraged to work from a shoot box with a cover (cardboard, wood or plastic).
  10. Safety Guidelines for Manufacturing Area

    1. General manufacturing will be conducted in an area designated by the Board of Directors, Safety team, and Manufacturing team. This area must be taped off to limit access to the area. A Safety Team member or a Manufacturing team member must be present at all times while product is being manufactured. Members are not permitted to work on live product solo in the Manufacturing area.
    2. Bulk material should be stored in a ready box, preferably outside and behind the tent at a distance of at least 25 ft.
    3. Builders are expected to provide safe storage for any materials they intend to work on or with. The ready box will be provided for anyone unprepared or for unexpected storage needs, but builder should provide additional storage as necessary.
    4. Rocket pressing should be performed at a distance from the general manufacturing area.
    5. While pressing of rockets is not deemed to be a dangerous activity, all presses will be positioned so the blast shields protect not only the presser but also the general area. It is suggested that presses are located at the tree line with the unshielded area of the press facing experimental.
  11. Guidelines for Safety Infractions and Disciplinary action
    1. If at any time there is any alleged infraction of the Safety Guidelines the Safety Committee will submit a written report to the Board of Directors. The written report will include the account of the infraction(s), date, time, and member(s) involved.
    2. At the Boards discretion, the member in question may be immediately suspended or asked to leave the area and not handle product until the situation can be investigated by the Board.
    3. The Board of Directors will contact the member with the concerns from Safety and gather information from the point of view of the member. If the infraction cannot be disposed immediately, the board will contact the members in the form of letter or e-mail within 30 days.
    4. The member will be expected to respond in writing to any allegations within 30 days. The response should be in the form of a letter or e-mail and be dated. Failure to respond in 30 days will result in the Board of Directors making a determination without the member's input.
    5. Upon the gathering of all information the Board of Directors will discuss the allegations and make a ruling. The President will communicate the Board of Director's findings and issue either corrective action or a dismissal of the allegations. The President will communicate their ruling to the member and the Safety Team in writing within 30 days or as circumstances permit.