Don’t let happy events become tragedies
Just after the eerie Halloween, there is another important festival in Britain, bonfire night on November 5. At this time of the year, campfires and fireworks are lit at night in all parts of the UK, which is also called “the most beautiful night in the country”.
In China, as the most important festival of the Chinese nation, firecrackers are indispensable in the Spring Festival. As a traditional custom of Chinese people, setting off fireworks and firecrackers is almost an indispensable part of every family. There are many different reasons why Chinese and British people set off fireworks, but there is no doubt that this activity makes people happy in winter.
However, fireworks are made from gunpowder. There is no doubt that gunpowder explosion and smoke produced by explosion will do harm to people and environment. Especially the accidents caused by improper operation are common in recent years. In addition, the noise pollution and fire risk caused by fireworks have also seriously affected people’s daily life and safety.
Liu Kaidi, a Chinese student study in University of Lancaster. He found it easy to buy fireworks and firecrackers in British supermarkets. But there is an age limit. Adults over the age of 18 are required to buy fireworks. “Because in Lancaster, fireworks have been set off since Halloween. Sometimes, the sound of fireworks flying to the sky will be heard in the city. In some places, the smoke is a little big,” he said, “However, people usually buy fireworks through formal channels, and many people also pay attention to the environment, so I also see that some people will put smokeless fireworks. The impact of fireworks on the town is not great, of course, it may also because this is not a big place. But in some cities in China, even juveniles can easily buy fireworks and firecrackers.
“In my hometown, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. Every Spring Festival fireworks, the whole city is filled with smoke. Until 12 o’clock in the evening, firecrackers will still bang everywhere. Although it doesn’t matter for most people to stay up until 12 o’clock, it does matter a lot for the old and the young. And every year there are fire accidents caused by fireworks, whether in the town or in the countryside,” he said.
So several years ago, the Chinese government announced a ban on setting off firecrackers in cities.
Fireworks cannot be sold in cities. Even so, many retailers still sell fireworks illegally during the Spring Festival. The source of these fireworks is not clear, which has resulted in many casualties and property damage.
In 2015, an explosion and fire broke out at a fireworks retail store in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, killed five people and injured three.
In 2013, a car parked on the street exploded in Tianjin, causing three nearby cars to burn down. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The result of the investigation was due to fireworks.
Although the security situation in the UK seems to be very good, considering the population compared with China, there are still a large number of Britons injured due to improper operation and other reasons when setting off fireworks. According to figures from NHS Digital, there were almost 2,000 occasions of people going to A&E (The accident and emergency department)linked to fireworks in 2018/19. This peaked at over 2,800 visits on Sunday 4 November, compared to the daily average of 1,800 visits throughout the rest of the year. While most people who come a cropper because of pyrotechnics can be patched up in A&E and sent home the same day, over the last five years there have been almost 1,000 hospital admissions relating to the discharge of a firework.
At the same time, we must pay attention to the weather and the chosen place when setting out the bonfire. Because it’s possible that strong winds will fuel the fire. For example, In 2018, North Yorkshire firefighters had to deal with a series of incidents caused by Bonfire Night celebrations yesterday evening which saw winds gusting at up to 30mph. In Sherburn-in-Elmet two garages in neighbouring gardens, garden furniture and fences were damaged when a bonfire got out of control. There are many accidents caused by bonfires due to lack of safety knowledge and unauthorised operation without supervision, resulting in property loss and personal injury.
Whether in Britain or China, fireworks and bonfires are a way for people to celebrate and commemorate festivals. But people must keep in mind that it is not the right way that because convenient to not follow the correct guidance of fireworks. Please buy qualified fireworks in regular shops. Parents must take good care of their children. Only under the supervision of parents can children be allowed to have fireworks without intensity.
So, enjoy your Bonfire Night carefully please!
By Weaver Xiao, Online producer of Fuse media for JN3516
