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[Sixpotsuz]

Have to add my tuppence worth...

A person in my village is of the view everyone, via the village Facebook page,  should book in with her regarding all their fireworks events because her dog gets upset and stressed.

I really do feel for the distress to her dog.

BUT, it’s her problem to get help for her dog!  I don’t see why the 420 parishioners in the village need to organise their lives around one neurotic dog. 

Surely the dog owner needs to sort out training and or tranquillisers or absence for said dog and not dictate what 420 adults plus their children and pets have to do? 

The world is going crazy!
Let’s keep a sense of balance here.

S
X

The balance is out of whack from where I’m standing.

Sx

[GatheR RoveR]

 

Have to add my tuppence worth...

A person in my village is of the view everyone, via the village Facebook page,  should book in with her regarding all their fireworks events because her dog gets upset and stressed.

I really do feel for the distress to her dog.

BUT, it’s her problem to get help for her dog!  I don’t see why the 420 parishioners in the village need to organise their lives around one neurotic dog. 

Surely the dog owner needs to sort out training and or tranquillisers or absence for said dog and not dictate what 420 adults plus their children and pets have to do? 

The world is going crazy!
Let’s keep a sense of balance here.

S
X

The balance is out of whack from where I’m standing.

Sx

I’ve got three dog, one of them is totally panicking after a week of firework.
We have trainend her a lot, now she almost doesn’t react when there is  thunder and lightning or the house must be shaking. But it is almost a daily training and it never is really over.

And yes people are allowed to have a feest, overhere there are 2 days that are legit. But 2 months in advanced, no I can not enjoy that.

In the fields in my area there are already almost no horse outside.
Reactions like that...... hum ...  sheep

[geoff]

 All this talk of fireworks simply tells me that people are more affluent than they realise 

[Bradley66]

I'm one of the grummpys from the old forum ...

I'm also an ex-explosives and fireworks experimenter.

I'm of the school that would ban the sale of fireworks to the general public.
You can't beat a proper professional display. The quality of flashes and bangs far beats what you can let off in your garden.
I also feel for the animals with the current practice of the 3 week window around November 5th and on New Year's eve 

I wonder had Guy Faulks done the job properly how things would have turned out.


 

I agree .

I am about to pay my membership subs for the IEexP ( google it) . The general public should not need to buy them these days , go to an organised display.
We have had idiots who have been going up onto the New Forest and targeting the ponies over the last couple of days.
Have also heard this afternoon that someone we know has lost their horse this weekend because it panicked when someone started letting fireworks off close by.

[Grandadrob]

Having read and digested all of the above, I must come to the conclusion that most of the fireworks around here are illegal. My great concern with fireworks comes from the very loud bangs.  At this time of year all the sheep have had the Tups in the fields, and in the early stages of lamb.  You should see them running around, not good.
On the subject of organized displays, they too must have their noise limits turned down. We can hear some which are clearly miles away.
I grew up in the 50's and enjoyed Guy Fawkes night, but it was much quieter and short lived.......   albeit half of the neighbourhood burned down each year..

[Youngun]

Speaking of dogs and fireworks... Luckily our doggo doesn't care... Does anyone elses council go round the area removing the dog waste bins so they don't get detonated by the local likely lads with spectacularly disgusting results 

Or is it just a Medway thing

Neal

[Dentman]

Setting off a 60 second (£60  ) barrage in a phone box is a trick we come across, sheer wilful damage actually losing the spectacular effect designed in.
Or is THAT just a Liverpool thing 

[Rog-from-Bix]

Having become horse and pony owners in the last few years I have gone from live and let live to there are some people who are just so thick or just plain ignorant that they can't be trusted.
Agree with the money comment above someone I know who is often slow to pay bills seems to have blown up a a fair few quids worth of fireworks a few nights back.

[w3526602]

HI,

When I was in the ATC (Air Cadets), the C0 tat we all brought our fireworks in, and had a proper display.

What actually happened was that the Squadron split into two factions (about 20 lads in each), got lined up on opposite sides of the parade ground, and had a battle. Crackers were lit and thrown, rockets were laid horizontally on a bench, then lit.

It lasted about 20 minutes. Exilerating (in Spades). And nobody got hurt. The CO was old school, probably enjoyed the spectacle. The Adjudant was a prat, but was over-ruled.

One evening parade, I took a WW2 incendry bomb in too show the lads, put in the stores for safe keeping ... and forgot about it. In the week before the next parade, I discovered girls ... and never went back. That would have been about 1956, but I've only recently remembered it. I wonder what the Stores Officer thought about it during his next inventory check. I think it was magnesium, so he probably weighed it in.

One of our mini-cab drivers, Peter, was walking home during a WW2 air raid. Him and his mate heard the bombs coming. Peter "took it on his toes". His mate took cover in a shop doorway ... closely followed by an incendary bomb. They never found him.

I don't know if that affected Peter's attitude to life. A rival mini-cab firm ran out of drivers, so called on us for back-up. Pete was sent out to assist. Twenty minutes later, the rival cab firm phoned again .... "Please ask your driver not to torch our office!"  Peter had gone for the pick-up, but nobody there. He still expected to paid. (Yes, I think he would. Matter of principle).

We had a regular lady customer ... TV actress, but earned money on the side by selling life insurance. On occasions, she was known to drop a £5 note from an upstairs window, and tell the driver there was no need to wait. One day, she came storming into the office, wanting to know why her driver, who was waiting, had been arrested for cleaning his gun while sitting in his cab (He had a sleeping bag, slept in the cab office, had been DD'd from the army).

 Most Saturday nights, a woman came into the office, selling chicken legs at two shillings each. She worked in a hotel, and liberated the left-overs.

I did a year of mini-cabbing (own car), but wasn't happy about zoomping up Purley Way, at 3AM , doing 70mph, looking in the mirror ... and forgetting to look back at the road. When my Hire & Reward insurance was due for renewal, I called it a day. I did 50,000 miles , in that year, mainly in South London. An experience, but I don't think I'd want to do it again. But then again, it enabled me to buy my first house, although being introduced to a crooked estate agent helped ... but that's another story. He did two years in jail, I sweated, but when you have a wife and baby who need a roof, it's a different ball-game. I was very glad when I sold that house ... almost exactly 100% profit in four years, bought another house in Wales, for cash, got a job in DVLC.

602

602

Happy daze!

602

[limestone69]

Sorry to hear this is an issue there too. I thought  it was a redneck American phenomenon.  I am surrounded by idiots who spend their entire welfare check on fireworks. This September, a huge horse farm burned to the ground as a result of an amateur fireworks display. They lost 4 horses that were in the barn lame, the other 2 dozen were turned out for the night. The place is a total loss.

[100+9]

Can't say I get it. See a proper display. Compared to the proper professional 'article' domestic-sold corner-shop fireworks are just a nuisance or worse, and go like a wet Tuesday anyway.

[Wittsend]

This is what you want ...

16th Norwich Sea Scouts are holding their Annual Fireworks display on Sat 26th Oct at their Scout hut, The Street, Old Costessey. NR8 5DB.
There will be Hot food, Bar, hot drinks, Fair Ground rides, Plate Smashing, Coconut shy and many more traditional games to play. Gates open at 1800. £5 per person, under 3yrs Free...

We've been most years - safe for the kids.
The whole village turns out - real community spirit.
A good fund raiser for the scouts.

One year the bonfire set fire to some trees and the Fire Brigade sent out 2 engines - great fun 


 

[Fluffle-Valve]

I agree that Fireworks should be banned from public purchase. It should stop all the mindfull idiots from letting them off at any time of day and night for weeks on end.
It scares the hell out of my dogs, my neighbour's dogs, local cats, local chickens, nearby horses and other farm animals, such as sheep, pigs and cows, etc. Not to mention all the daytime and nocturnal wildlife, like birds, foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, etc.
There are humans nearby that have been traumatised by war and the explosions that go with it. Until you have experienced such a thing as war, you'll never know what sticks in your mind. These loud bangs going on day and night for weeks on end only traumatises the veterans even more. There are also children in a difficult disposition that hate fireworks and the bangs that go with it. It's not just the animals that are affected.
There are way too many animals that have died through the shock of a loud bang just randomly going off. Right now, Facebook is full of it with people posting the death of the pet dog, cat, horse, etc. So, should we be sorting out training and or tranquillisers for every animal and person mentioned above?

Then there is the damage fireworks cause to local property. I still have a rocket stick laying on the wing of my landy, which is where it landed. That landy is right outside my front door and could have landed on me or my dogs as I leave the house. What goes up, must come down and as it is a firework, it could just set fire to someone's property, with a good chance of causing death by fire. There has this year already been four horses die in a barn fire caused by a firework. Not to mention the extra work the fire brigade have to do and the doctors and nurses fixing up the idiots that have bought their bangers and blown a hand or a finger or two off. While we're on the subject of idiots, you get the ones that enjoy taping up fireworks to animals roaming the street. Getting dogs to hold bangers in their mouth and the list goes on. I would love to get my hands on that sort of idiot.

If we have to have them, big public displays on the 5th of November only is the way to go. At least then we could take precautions for our pets, etc and start dosing them up on tranquilisers. Training has never worked with mine. I've tried and tried and spent good money with so-called trainers to no avail. 
These displays should be only for those that want to go and have their eardrums dismembered and shout and scream a lot as the sky lights up with a bright sparkle. With a lot of these displays comes very loud music and a BBQ. That way, you can eat what you have killed with the traumatising banging of your firework. I hear Gypseys eat roasted hedgehog as quite a delicacy. I wonder how many get roasted alive under the big bonfire that has been growing for weeks.

Now don't get me wrong and think that I hate everything firework. I love to see a good display and I enjoy a beer or two while watching the sky light up. I'll be there with my earplug in my damaged ear (Done in 1970's Northern Ireland) and enjoying the display. The only trouble is, are my dogs have to stay at home with someone to look after them while I'm out. Also, while I'm watching the sky light up, I can't help think about all the wildlife that is getting traumatised while we all have a pint and watch a good display and enjoy ourselves. Then there's the smell of roasted hedgehog in the air.

[100+9]

This one should sit on anyone's bucket list. I don't know about you, but sadly the wonderment of youth means fireworks are a kid thing. Fireworks pass me by. But Ottery St Mary's Tar Barrell Night is on another level. Do it.

https://www.tarbarrels.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elrOWiqvAJ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBv1Sc1-RTs

Mad dogs and Englishmen.

[Larry S.]

Sorry to hear this is an issue there too. I thought  it was a redneck American phenomenon.  I am surrounded by idiots who spend their entire welfare check on fireworks. This September, a huge horse farm burned to the ground as a result of an amateur fireworks display. They lost 4 horses that were in the barn lame, the other 2 dozen were turned out for the night. The place is a total loss.

I live in one of the "redneck" areas of the US and have as yet to see any of the issues all y'all seem to have such extent.  We also have several horse ranches/farms in the area and haven't ever heard of anyone complaining about fireworks and horses to this extent either.  Yes, once in a while you have some jerk toss firecrackers at a horse and rider and usually the person is fined.  We have laws around here dealing with such.  One of those horse farms hosts and annual display for those communities that are too small to afford them.

We are also in a part of the country that has a high propensity to be under burn bans and fireworks ban during high heat and droughts, this year was one of those years.  Fireworks weren't completely banned but were cautioned.  We had 1 fire and it was a hayfield.

We have owned cats and dogs who have tolerated fireworks and those that don't.  We don't blame others for our animals issues, we take appropriate precautions.  If someone purposely try to upset our animals that's another issue.  Something I find interesting is that this issue with cats, dogs and fireworks wasn't an issue, like it is now, when I was growing up (and the fireworks were more powerful).  Yet, for some reason it has been becoming an issue within the past 15 years or so.

We also live right next to the location where our community has its public display.  The fireworks are literally about 3 football field lengths from our back door.  Since we have animals that freak out with fireworks should I be demanding that the public display be banned as well, or at least located elsewhere?

IF fireworks are so out of control in your areas perhaps they should be banned.  However, I do not think something, such as this, should be banned across the board because a minority have issues.

With the exception of 5 years, I have lived in this area my entire life and I can not think of a single time that an attempt has been made to ban fireworks altogether.

As to those injured by fireworks..  check your local records and I'm sure you'll find out the vast majority are self inflicted accidents.  For those idiots it's their own fault, it doesn't mean everyone should be punished for it. 

Let's look at a few facts; and I imagine that the ones below, percentage wise, are probably close to those in other countries, maybe not.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, per year an average of 9,000 people are treated for fireworks related injuries and 8 fatalities.  Several of these are caused by mishaps at public displays.  That's pretty low for a nation of over 329M people.

Now, let's compare this to automobiles.

Average number of car accidents in the .U.S. every year is 6 million. More than 90 people die in car accidents everyday. 3 million people in the U.S. are injured every year in car accidents. Around 2 million drivers in car accidents experience permanent injuries every year. 

I have had 3 relatives killed in three separate auto accidents and 7 friends and acquaintances either killed or permanently injured in auto accidents.

On top of this, I find several aspects of autos annoying: excessive speeding, high powered LED lights, loud rumbling engines, big speaker systems that you can hear a block away, and so on.

So, shouldn't we be clamoring for at least a ban on privately owned autos?   

The above doesn't take into account animals, however, in 1993 an analysis of "roadkill" was done within the New England states of the US.  Merritt Clifton (editor of Animal People Newspaper) extrapolated the data and applied it to the entire US.  He estimated that the following animals are being killed by motor vehicles in the United States annually: 41M squirrels, 26M cats, 22M rats, 19M opossums, 15M raccoons, 6M dogs, and 350,000 deer.  This doesn't take into account those animals injured.

In the past 30 years we have had 3 pets killed by autos and 1 permanently injured.  Based on this, I should be demanding that personal automobiles be banned?   

In a nutshell, I have issues with a minority of people wanting to do something that affects an entire population, such as ban on the private use of fireworks, simply due to the reasons above.